


And through your eyes I see...

by fish_wifey



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Body Swap, Body Worship, Boys Kissing, Falling In Love, Feelings, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Humor, Insecurity, M/M, Masturbation, Sharing a Bed, Ushijima is insecure about love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-02 21:23:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11517750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fish_wifey/pseuds/fish_wifey
Summary: Terushima Yuuji is a bright, spirited and easy going young man. A healthy appetite for life and love, he's unafraid to try out new things. Surrounded by like-minded and fun friends, there's nothing he lacks at the moment. Apart from dominating the upcoming Miyagi preliminaries, and maybe finding a new hot partner to bestow love onto.Ushijima Wakatoshi has been publicly known for his volleyball prowess. To his friends, he's a volleyball addict who makes little to no time for other things in his life apart from his club activities. There's only one road to take to victory, and side-tracks haven't been on Wakatoshi's vizor. Ever.So what happens if two different personalities wish for more than what they have, even as they don't really know what they want?What if they wake up as each other the next day, not knowing how to reverse?And what to do about these feelings that come as they get to know the person in which body they're in?





	1. Prologue; a change of scenery

**Author's Note:**

> Holy shit I'm finally publishing this. Okay so, I wrote this all the way back for the rare pair exchange. 90% of the fic was done and read-through by a second reader for the longest time. I had asked a third reader to but everyone's lives is so busy!! In the end I decided to just show it to the world 8D life's too short to keep 100 wips in my g-doc folder wwwww;;;;
> 
> ANYWAY!! When I saw this ship in combination for a given Body Swap au, I was sold. I love putting together super different personalities and I've always been interested in Body Swaps~ 
> 
>  
> 
> Writing frustrations: one of the things I battled with this fic for the longest time was how to cut up chapters. I seriously spend so much time on trying out things but nothing seems to work for me. And then today when I decided to publish, I went experimental: we have a prologue of the night before, then the first chapter, an interlude, and the final second chapter. I hope the split will be an enjoyable read .v.
> 
> Also~ the chapter titles for 1 and 2 are sentence finishers for the fic title!
> 
> ANYWAY!! I had a lot of fun writing Terushima for the first time, even though it was hard ;v; The povs aren't exact cuts either. I just worked it the way I think would make the scenes nice.
> 
> Hope whoever reads it enjoys it!! I'll drop the interlude and second chapter probably tomorrow~~!

Yuuji flings his magazine across the room. Folding his arms behind his head, and staring up to the ceiling, he contains a small grumble deep in his throat. Blinking in annoyance, he bounces off his bed, takes a small jog across, and picks up what is in fact, Kazuma's magazine. Making sure it isn't damaged, he quickly shuts it, as to not see Ushijima's face again.

"Stupid no-fun super-ace. Hah, what's so super about him when you have your team receiving every ball _for_ you." Yuuji reacts even more annoyed hearing himself say it, and puts the reading material inside his bag to take back tomorrow. 

Stretching his arms sideways and upwards, a persistent, even more irritated sounding voice echoes between his ears. Hana's constant reminders of them doing their stretches follow the team home, and Yuuji remembered she sent a message earlier too. As team captain, he should have been in charge of making everyone cool down.

Should have, but didn't.

Reluctant, and knowing he could lie about it anyway, Yuuji lifts his hands to the ceiling, then drops them between his straight-standing feet. From this angle, he sees where one of his dumbbells had rolled off. Yuuji made a bet with four of his friends in the team, plus Kazuma, to work on their arm strength and develop thick biceps. Each morning, he'd do a couple of workouts his coach had worked out for the boys. Yuuji was proud of his flexibility, but hoped he could gain more muscle mass and strength. 

"I'll beat Ushiwaka's ass..." He tells no one but himself and the floor, as he feels the stretch work his way throughout his legs. From the corner of his room, one of his two parakeets sings at him. He looks at the cage through his legs, as his palms lie flat on the ground.

"Right you are Peeka-chan. Train, eat, sleep, repeat." Finishing off his stretches, Yuuji picks up a blanket from the floor close to the cage. Putting his face against the thin bars, he waits for both his pets to jump towards it on the other side, and feel their tiny beaks nibble his chin and nose.

"Hehe, time to sleep for you too, bunch of terrorizing cuties." Glancing over the water reservoir and their toys, Yuuji's fingers tap against the railing, watching his yellow parakeet Peeka and his green parakeet Joy fly around the cage, chirping. He then puts the blanket over it, and gives his light switch a light punch.

"Nighty, my darlings. Tomorrow's another day."

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

He wakes up to the sound of birds.

A weird occurrence. To Wakatoshi's knowledge, pets weren't allowed in the dorms. And while their school had an abundance of trees, none were placed near here. He would have noticed if any kind of bird houses or springs would have been placed. Especially if Satori got wind of it.

Before he can identify the reason for any sort of bird to be making this much noise, Wakatoshi's sleepy eyebrows frown together as his body feels weird. First, he notices that the bed he sleeps in is as soft as a marshmallow, and that his arms are lying under too many cushions for one human to be needing. It doesn't feel like the bed he fell asleep in at all. He has no history of sleepwalking, and even so, almost all the beds in the dorm are the same. The pillows are a mystery. 

"Mhmm..." Wakatoshi yawns into his pillow, feeling a neck strain as his head is up too high on them. Swallowing, a chill goes down his spine as he feels a ball of some sort against his palate. Twisting his tongue, it rolls around, and- Wakatoshi sits up at once. He rolls his tongue out to touch it, finding two metal balls connected to a little bar _inside his tongue_.

The chirping intensifies when Wakatoshi's sleepy eyes blink around. His vision is blurry, but he can see that is not his room. It's no room one would find inside the boy's dorms. It's homey, messy, and it gives Wakatoshi a headache on top of the growing confusing, when he hears someone at the door.

"Yuuji!? Did you sleep in? Take care of your pets for crying out loud, honestly-" A female voice carries past the room, and when Wakatoshi squints, he can see a half open door. He walks to it, not understanding what is happening, and guessing this is all a dream. He tries to find the woman who just called out to a boy named Yuuji, hoping to find answers.

"Good god, Yuuji. I told you not to squint so much. It's not good for you."

"...I can't see." That's not his voice.

"Of course not if you're not wearing your contacts. Seriously, what's wrong with my son today?" 

This is not his mother. Wakatoshi is being pushed by a woman he doesn't know into a bathroom he doesn't recognize, past the birds which aren't his to care for, but who the woman says he's been neglecting. 

"I don't know what's gotten into you today. Usually you're up earliest to talk to Joy-chan and Peeka-chan."

Not daring to ask who those people were, Wakatoshi feels a small capsule being pushed into his hand. 

“Take your ADHD pill, put on your glasses, and then hurry up. Did you forget that I offered to take you? God, sometimes I wonder how your head stays on your neck when you play volleyball. I wish that level of concentration would drift in your other activities too!"

Swallowing a pill with the water the woman gave him, Wakatoshi then has to squint again to find these contacts she was talking about. Those too, are trusted into his chest. He blinks at them, unable to understand how these flimsy little things are supposed to settle in his eyes.

The woman sighs. He's angered her again. "Take a seat. There on the toilet. Are you sick, Yuuji? You're way too quiet for my liking."

She pushes Wakatoshi’s head down, and keeps him in a position where he has to look up and widen his eyes. The woman, who is more akin to a whirlwind, gently puts in the contacts one by one. Blinking, they're put into place unbeknownst to Wakatoshi, who finds his eyesight again. he can finally see the woman in all detail, and she looks as happy as she sounds.

Which she isn't. A small hand slaps his shoulder and tells him to get ready for school already.

"And for crying out loud, take care of your birds! You know they don't calm down if they wake up and you're not talking to them." The woman keeps pestering him as she closes the bathroom door and keeps talking when Wakatoshi stumbles into the room he came out off.

He finds his pulse elevating, an unpleasant feel inside his throat. The chirping is maddening, and he walks over to where he finds a blanket covering a construction as tall as him. A flurry of green and yellow fly about the cage, not calming down a bit. 

"Hello." Wakatoshi says with a voice that isn't his, unable to become accustomed to the metal in his tongue. He found a mirror in this room, but no chance to take a look at himself yet. The birds are more demanding.

"Please be silent. I am talking to you, as I should. No need to make such a ruckus anymore." Wakatoshi feels utmost stupid. Birds and cats weren't exactly the kind of pets he desired or cared for as much as other people might. He liked dogs more, and they seemed to like him usually. If these would be dogs, this would have been much easier. Dogs listen, are attentive, loyal, and listen to commands. 

These birds wouldn't listen to him at any point.

"I said, silence." Wakatoshi's voice rises, and the birds cower in a corner. They look quite conspicuous of him as their little talons hold tight around the bars of the cage. Alas, they do not make another sound, only stare at him. 

Checking that the angry woman is still in the bathroom, Wakatoshi brings his face closer to the bar.

"I am not your feeder... owner... master? Accept my apologies."

The little beaks make the tiniest movement, and the yellow one moves upwards the cage. Wakatoshi tries again, not sure if reasoning with animals will get him anywhere. "Please? Be quiet for the rest of the day too, that would be-"

The yellow bird flies off the inside of the cage and charges at Wakatoshi's face, who backs off immediately. The flurry begins anew, although they do not raise their chirps once more. Sighing, Wakatoshi takes his half-win, and makes to the mirror.

While all his senses so far had told him that he must have been involved in some kind of accident or dream, the person who looks back at the mirror shocks him the most. That same shock carries along the features, too. Breathing a little harder, Wakatoshi leans closer to the mirror, where a boy of mediocre height (he noticed the size of the doors), outrageous blond and shaven hair stares back at him. Wakatoshi takes in the silver earrings, then sticks out his tongue to see a ball there. A piercing, most-like. Wakatoshi couldn't fathom a reason why people would have metal in their tongues otherwise.

"Yuuji, is something wrong with your piercing? I knew I shouldn't have allowed your uncle to place it."

Wakatoshi's head spins slowly towards the woman in the doorway, who probably knows that something is off, too. Straightening his spine upright, Wakatoshi shakes his head.

"All is fine, mother."

The women's heads snaps back, her eyes squinting as if she’s trying to see Wakatoshi’s soul through the skin he’s wearing today. The body so unlike his own in all sorts of ways. The mother of the son Wakatoshi looks right as of now, lets her voice drop to a whisper, not fully believing the tone of the voice Wakatoshi offers.

"You've never call me that formal... Unless you want new clothes. Well, you finally calmed your two noisemakers down, hmm? Get ready.” She says, picking up the boy’s dirty clothes strewn across the floor. Wakatoshi would have never left his room in such a state. A few things may be disorderly, or so Reon would tease him, but the floor in his dorm is always visible. 

When he doesn’t make a move from the spot he’s rooted at, the mother turns to him once more.

“While it’s still morning, Yuuji! Or I take back my promise to take you as far as the train-station closest to school on my way to Osaki. You do remember that conversation we had yesterday at dinner, I hope. And you _did_ tell Kazuma-kun and Rin-chan you'd meet them there, right?"

Wakatoshi's perplexity levels find new limits with every new sentence he hears or item he finds, but he knows it's best to please this woman instead of angering her any further. After a short pause to take in the information that they're close to Osaki, Wakatoshi replies.

"...Yes, I did."

A feeble attempt. The woman sees through him and rolls her eyes at him.

" _Call them_ , and tell them! We're there 8:15."

Alone in the room, Wakatoshi tracks down a mobile phone and opens it in search of the names the woman just mentioned. He finds 'Kazuzuzu' and 'Rintarourororo'. Calling them might be awkward, so Wakatoshi opts to send them a message.

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

"Waaa-haaa-kaaa-tooo-shiii-kuuun!"

Yuuji wakes up to a loud banging on his door. He jumps out of bed, tripping when there was so much to carry than just himself. It felt as if the blanket got wrapped around him like a snake, but it lay there on the bed (not his), quite innocent. He froze, immediately. There were too many things at once to take in, apart from the fact that he could see it all, in perfect vision. He hadn't fallen asleep with his contacts in, he'd know and feel them burning by now.

"Wakatoshi-kun!”

_’Whoever this guy is, he’s in deep shit. And why the hell am I awake already? Where the fuck am I…?’_

“We have practice in 15 minutes and you weren't at breakfast! I brought you something tho-" The voice continues, but then is interrupted by another guy, standing right on the other side of the door. A door to this room. Yuuji looks around, but doesn’t see another bed. One question damages his brain cells: wow the hell did he end up here?

"Maybe he's sick? He wasn't yesterday," Another voice opts, but then an even louder BAM shakes the door, as the same voice continues at a louder volume. The scolding of Misaki-chan was nothing against it. "Oi, since when are you the type to be sleepy or sick? I'm coming in-" 

Yuuji wants to hide under the blanket. Or better yet, wrap himself in the blanket and hide under the bed. He’s a swift guy, and could still pull it off. Then the door opens. 

"Yo, morning... Wait, what are you doing?" Bright ash blond hair, a stern look, and nothing positive aimed through pissed off eyes, right at Yuuji. He’s got as far as holding the warm blanket he slept under while recovering from the hard mattress and the single thin cushion he woke up from in his hands. Cover and ammunition if necessary. 

"Uh, nothing?" Yuuji tries, laughing, finding the feeling and sound off as it came from his. He rolls his tongue against the roof of his mouth, missing the metal usually situated in his tongue. More shocking was the depths of his voice, which couldn’t be his voice at all. Apart from this being not his room and the two standing in the doorway a mere memory of what he think he saw last year at the preliminaries, Yuuji didn't recognize anything else. And everything felt weird as shit too.

One sharp, untrusting eyebrow rose up across the forehead of the guy who opened the door. 

"Kay. Tendou brought you food." The same 'Tendou' held a bowl high above his head, wiggling about, all grins and shifty eyes. He looks flexible and fun. Surely someone Yuuji would remember better if he’d ever meet him before in his life. Wait. This guy called him ‘Wakatoshi-kun’... Yuuji cannot think about it, as the unpleasant of the two talked to him again. 

"I'll let Soekawa and coach Saitou know that... you overslept.” The voice said it all. ‘Wakatoshi’ never overslept. Yuuji blinks in stupidity. “We better keep this from coach Washijou though."

Unable to catch his bearings, or even assemble a single thought, Yuuji can only watch as Tendou walks inside the room. He moves freely and at ease, as if he’s come here a hundred times before. Yuuji doesn’t even feel at home in his own skin, second-guessing if he’s having some sort of outer body experience. Maybe even a dream.

"Wakatoshi-kun, you sure you're okay? You seem pale today. Here, I managed to sneak this out of the canteen."

Turning to where Tendou puts the bowl on a desk (that couldn’t be his unless his mother would have paid him to clean it) Yuuji realizes that something bad happened. This wasn’t his room. This guy acts as if it is. Everything was so clean and in perfect state of non-destruction or scribbles. From his perirhinal version, Yuuji sees a third person. Blinking, he finds the mirror image -for the guy was trapped in a mirror- stare back and blink too. 

Tendou touches his face, and his fingers appearing in the mirror. Slowly, Yuuji turns to him, not hearing whatever the mouth says. There’s no one else in the room with them. Head snapping back to the mirror, Yuuji recognizes one thing at last.

“Ushijima Wakatoshi.” Yuuji says, with Ushijima’s mouth. 

Tendou’s head tilts to the side, far enough to make his neck crack. “Yee~es. That’s you alright. Here, eat fast! We have practice-” 

Yuuji had never once fainted in his life. But the empty feeling in his gut, the hot and cold crawling over his skin, and the light-headedness he feels are sure indicators of it happening. He falls back on the hard bed, unable to stand on his own -no- on _Ushiwaka’s_ feet anymore.


	2. Part 1; a new me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima and Terushima get through their first day in different bodies. Dealing with 'friends', volleyball training, behaving as the other person isn't exactly easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I really loved writing everyone. It was super hard, given it's my first time writing a body swap. I had a lot of fun though writing the experiences and the total flip side of lives they have and how they are.
> 
> What I loved most was writing little realizations and how they get to know each other while not being close at all.

Wakatoshi is somehow able to guess that despite the way this woman acted all morning, she must have an affectionate relationship towards her son. As such, Wakatoshi doesn't bow to her as a thank you that she dropped him off here, but instead shows his cheek to her obediently. His gamble does not go by unappreciated.

The mother sighs and rolls her eyes, but smiles nonetheless as she gives her son's face, which Wakatoshi hides behind, a small peck for the good bye.

"I added your favourite ingredients in the bento, twice the amount since you're still hoping to grow... Now, don't make any trouble during classes today, you understand me!? I know you love your club activities more, but attending the classes is just as important. See ya."

Wakatoshi nods and waves, reverting to his old self as he doesn't know how 'Yuuji' would act normally. He seems like a person who would stick his tongue out to his mother. Maybe a harsh judgement based on the piercing situated there, but one Wakatoshi can't help from making.

He watches the car drive off, then turns around to face the next challenge. This morning he had no time to take in as much as he could, and all sorts of information and knowledge which would be second nature to this kid were a mystery still. The next problem lay in knowing who 'Kazuma-kun' and 'Rin-chan' were. Wakatoshi sends a small prayer to the heavens in high hopes he doesn't have to call them the way they're listed in Yuuji's phone.

While looking around for a boy and girl who would be his age, and wear the same uniform as Wakatoshi at the moment, he takes a few steps between the crowd towards the station. He couldn't find out if this station had multiple entrances or exits, or if these friends of Yuuji were waiting at a specific spot only known between them. He simply hoped they'd find him first.

Walking around, Wakatoshi has no idea how to face this day, in general. He tries to think about yesterday night, if he'd done everything wrong to upset the spirits or his ancestors. What other reason would there be to wake up in someone's else's body?

"Teru? Teeeeruuuu, wait up! Ey, Terushima Yuuji where the hell are you headed!?"

Wakatoshi's head turns slowly as two figures approach him. He doesn't know them of course, but sees recognition and confusion in their eyes, aimed for this person. And the same kind of anger he had to deal with the woman. He doesn't know why, but so far he was only able to confuse and upset everyone he met.

"Apologies. My-" Can't blame it on the eyes, can't blame it on the meds. Can't tell them the truth, either. "I don't feel so well this morning."

They both blink, and the boy who is the same height as the body Wakatoshi seems to be residing in, tilts his head to his side, questioning everything as he stares at the face Wakatoshi doesn't know what to do with exactly.

"No kidding. First the formal text, now this. Dude, are you alright?"

The taller boy (and Wakatoshi still feels weird to have to look up more often than down) plants his hands on Wakatoshi's cheeks, shaking him.

"Heeey, snap out of it. We have no practice this morning and another row of matches in the afternoon, ne. If you behave like this we'll outshine you."

"Shiny like a diamond." The smaller boy does hand movements to his side which Wakatoshi can't follow, while the one with the hands on his face moves his head down, to the sides, and up again. Wakatoshi has an oppressive feeling these boys wanted him to do some sort of secret handshake, headbutt, shoulder rub, or other sorts of ‘greetings’ which Satori once tried to fool him into making.

"Get real, man."

"Yes, _man_."

"...Yes, of course." Wakatoshi hesitates as he starts to follow them to whatever school they all seem to belong. He didn't have time this morning to check for a jersey after the Mother mentioned volleyball. He still doesn't know who these people are, and wishes Satori was here. He would know how to deal with them. Opting to look ahead instead of anyone in particular, Wakatoshi wants to find out who is who here. "So uh, Rin-chan?"

The smaller boy with sleeker hair turns his head, then smiles. "Damn, you haven't called me that since junior high! What up?"

Maybe Wakatoshi should try 'Rin-kun' next time. The boy didn't find it odd or seemed to mind it much, which put Wakatoshi at ease to ask what he needed to know.

"...When are our rest days again?"

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Yuuji's jaw fell when he saw the horses. Everything about this place was too large for words. They were out on a morning jog, a small warm up before practice. Bringing his jaw back in place, Yuuji heard murmurs behind him, but not enough to make out what people were saying. While everyone of the core regulars were as tall or as muscular as him, Yuuji still couldn't believe how big he was right now. 

Ushiwaka sure had it good. 

"Uh, Wakatoshi?"

"Yes!?" Yuuji spun around, looking at Oohira Reon. While everyone at Jouzenji was fit, no one could ever aspire to gain as much beef as Oohira was carrying. He shouldn't be, but Yuuji was in awe. This was the guy they always saw in the magazines right beside Ushijima whenever he got his moment in the spotlight again. But Oohira seemed a lot more imposing in person, even as he was friendly to Ushijima. Those thick eyebrows didn't allow for any backtalk, either. 

"Are you... alright?"

"Mh-yeah, splendid." He called him 'Wakatoshi'. So they must be good friends, Yuuji assumed. He still wasn't sure how to address them all though, especially as most of the people around Ushijima were third years. 

"...Aha. I see." Oohira stares straight ahead, his face revealing nothing. 

"Wakatoshi-kun, I mean, what Reon is getting at... Are you sure you wanna hang out back here?"

"Uh, shouldn't I be?" Yuuji replies, trying to keep Ushijima's eyebrows, and smiles low. He cannot show his own personality inside this body too much. Not smiling was in Ushijima's dna, and Yuuji did his hardest to keep it that way. 

No one said anything. They had accessed the sidewalk and started to split into two single-files. Yuuji felt really at ease running here. 

"Alas, if you have a day off today, I shall take it easy too, Ushijima-san!" A loud voice boomed behind him, and Yuuji took a glance. He almost lost it when he saw a bowl-cut haircut. The silky black hair swooshed and swayed with the motions of the wearer. Yuuji found in this person an excitement and glee unparalleled in this group. 

"Sure." Yuuji said, trying to sound as stern as possible. Next to him, the lanky red-head kept staring, then snorted. 

"This is going to be a _day_ , I can feel it." The redhead said, and Yuuji couldn’t help looking forward to practice.

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

There haven't been many times Wakatoshi thanked the sounding bell for lunchtime. After a stressful morning and throughout his classes, he kind of hopes to find some sort of quiet and peace during lunch. He needs a moment to process what happened so far.

While this kid is in college prep class, he was still a second year, and a lot of the material is known to a third year like Wakatoshi. Having no trouble keeping up in the classes, he had to fend off teachers and classmates who suspected or acted as if they knew something was off about him. Thankfully, he answered all questions satisfactory enough to be left alone, most times.

But now... Lunchtime. Before he could make it to the door, an abundance of Terushima Yuuji's friends waited outside or tagged along as they found a place to eat on top of the building's roof.

Not only is Wakatoshi surrounded by the two friends from the station, but a whole bunch of other people show up. Yuuji, it seems, is a social man. Satori would call him a 'social butterfly', Wakatoshi thinks. What’s social about butterflies alludes him, but Wakatoshi is busy enough answering incoming 'bro'-fists, high-fives and other intricate handshakes. All the way focused to keep this face of smiling.

Because if he doesn't, this school will think 'Terushima-kun' is depressed. He cannot have that. Keeping to himself on a daily basis doesn't help him, either. Everyone chats and talks to him, and he's been giving manga back people borrowed, or is requested to return this or that magazine.

Bobata, sitting right beside him, knocks his arm. "By the way dude, you got mine with you too, right?"

Wakatoshi does not know, but he makes a guess and rummages into Terushima's bag. Bobata watches until he's annoyed, then grabs the volleyball magazine out himself. 

"Fuckhead Ushiwaka sure pisses you off, huh?"

"What did you call mmm. Hmm. Him?"

Bobata doesn't notice the slip and the unsteady recover, as Wakatoshi tries to keep it level. 

"Ugh, this douche." Bobata flicks the magazine open to where a picture of Wakatoshi comes on the page. "When you texted me how much he's annoying, I felt you, man. I'm glad we're going to be serious in beating his pompous rich ass off the court in the prelims."

Wakatoshi's heart starts to race. Yet another team that thought they could take Shiratorizawa on. At least they had fire, but even their uplifting attitude and unconventional approach couldn’t be wishing to stand a chance against him. What actually got to Wakatoshi, however, is that the captain of this team and the body he carried around, didn’t seem to like him very much. For reasons unknown, this hurt.

Not showing any kind of reaction on his face, Wakatoshi focuses on the small talk.

"And you think it's going to be... easy?" Wakatoshi asks, keeping his face as cool as possible. He grins, too; but not because he feels like it. 'Yuuji' has come across as a person whom people expect a smile from every 5 minutes. Otherwise he’s going to be asked what’s the matter with him, or worse, someone would try and touch his face again, lifting the corners of his mouth with their fingers. Wakatoshi shudders thinking of it.

"Nah, it's going to be fun, right!?"

"...Yes. Fun." Wakatoshi doesn't agree, but he acts the part. He's still not sure what kind of position this boy plays, and has been anxious to find out during the 'matches' this afternoon. For now, he ate his food in order to have something to do with his mouth and not answer any other questions or being required to speak.

Alas, it became apparent that Terushima Yuuji is a man who talks with his mouth full, bringing Wakatoshi into small troubles. 

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Yuuji had never been able to stuff his face like this. It wasn't just due to Shiratorizawa's canteen tasting excellent either. Carrying this larger body around requires him to double the amount of food Yuuji would usually go for. Halfway through his meat and rice, Yuuji gobbles down the vegetables too, remembering not to speak with a full mouth when he's greeted.

He had somehow made it through the first half of this school day. Being in college prep class, Yuuji had specific topics he loved to learn about, and surviving a few hours in third year wasn't _that_ hard. Being one to like challenges, Yuuji gave his maximum effort, whenever it was required. He had noticed that Ushijima wasn't called upon the board a lot, and he could easily be excused for not putting his hand up all the time. 

Stupid prestige academy with their A+ quality food favouring their star players. Yuuji grew jealous of this place bit by bit, while keeping a constant guard, and a constant control of his own personality. First he thought he came on too strong towards others, but then understood it was a matter of how bright he used to be during the days back at Jouzenji. Ushijima was a more silent, chill type who tends to speak only when spoken too. 

Having learned this much, Yuuji had also gathered that Ushijima was generally liked by the student body, and that he was highly respected by the volleyball club. That went without saying, but Yuuji would have never guessed the chivalry presented to Ushijima from literally everyone on this school. People made way in the halls to let him pass, other third years bought him a can of soda when Yuuji lumped this tall beast towards a vending machine. Entering the canteen a few moments earlier, he was greeted by what seemed other club's captains, people let him go first in line (he declines that politely), and he was shown to a good seat near the windows to catch the greenery and sunlight.

Girls practically stalked his every step. And Yuuji, having the eye for it, also noticed a few glances from male students. He wouldn't act on either, given it could bring Ushijima into problems, but it was too funny to see. Considering how nice this life is, Yuuji took a glance in the window. Immediately he had to try and tone down his smile. It was hard to look like the Ushijima he had seen grim-faced in the magazine. 

Oh, and Ushijima had a rival who aspired to not just be him, but be better in any way. 

Goshiki Tsutomu, a first year monster (Yuuji has read about him, too), would attempt to rival Ushijima at everything. Yuuji had a tough time keeping the smile off his face when this particular boy was around, and nearly lost it after Goshiki left the toilet area, proudly proclaiming he'd peed faster. 

The same kid swaggers into the canteen, and before even getting his own lunch, spots Yuuji sitting by himself. Goshiki flocks to him like a magnet, dropping his stuff and saying a few words before heading to the line himself. Yuuji could see that the first year was granted half, if not equal share of respect and kindness as was shown to Ushijima.

Not long after, Yuuji found himself flanked by Oohira and Tendou. Now Tendou was someone Yuuji found interesting. He was certainly fun to be around and acts friendly towards everyone he knows. It doesn't take long before the table fills up with the core regulars of the volleyball team, and Yuuji's guard goes up, his mind alert on the smallest things around him. 

The person who gave the most trouble in being observing as well as tight up, appears last. Yuuji didn't know what to think of Shirabu. He'd give Ushijima looks half the day, was constantly thinking, but never bothered Ushijima (and thankfully so) direct to the face. Yuuji was more of a team sport kind of guy and would like not to have everything handed to him, but Shirabu's role was composed of doing so. 

The whole team thought that as long as the ball went to Ushijima, a point would be scored. 

Yuuji didn't allow himself much today, but he really felt like he should ease up the tenseness he saw in Shirabu's forehead and manner. 

"Shirabu." Yuuji had the one-word attention grab down to a tee by now. Ushijima didn't speak much at once, which he learned fast this morning when he tried talking to first years.

"Yes, Ushijima-san?"

"It's lunchtime. You can stop being stuck up about volleyball and loosen up." Yuuji had to the toughest time to keep his mouth a firm line once he's spoken. He didn't blink, either. Staring at Shirabu was the funniest thing he's done all day. Shirabu had the tendency to stare back, not understanding a word Yuuji just loosened over Ushijima's lips.

"L-loosen up?" 

"Yeah. Take a salsa class. Maybe practice yoga. Y'know, ease off all that nonsense you keep bottled up inside. It's unhealthy. Your posture will suffer." Yuuji said, trying to be elegant with Ushijima's wrist when he twirled his spoonful of curry at Shirabu's nose. "How else are you going to enjoy yourself and have fun playing?"

"F...Fun?" 

Yuuji wonders if this was the right approach. He made a promise to himself not to mess too much around, but saying this much could be already going overboard. Given Shirabu's face becoming more pale and more confused with every advice Yuuji gave, he might play it smarter shutting his mouth. He continued eating, leaving Shirabu in what seems to evolve into an extensional setter crisis.

Oohira wiped his mouth clean using a napkin, then gathers everyone's attention when he turns to Yuuji.

"As far as I remember correctly, you were as stiff as a board when I tried to teach you pilates, Wakatoshi." Oohira puts his napkin down, watching Yuuji trying to keep a tight lip on Ushijima's face, feeling sweat run down the neck. 

"And I haven't taken your words lightly, old friend." Yuuji responds, speaking as if they were about to bury someone's hamster. "I'm merely trying to put your wisdom unto others, as you have bestowed me." 

"Wakatoshi, you're taking the Shakespeare assignment a little too serious." One of the tallest liberos Yuuji ever saw, and who happened to be in the same class as Ushijima, sat down at their table. Yamagata had been fun to hang around, and Yuuji had been able to fool him a lot. Making a believable Ushijima was one of the hardest things Yuuji had acted out, but it was also immensely fun. Yamagata surely didn't seem to mind, and he was quite handsy which Yuuji appreciated. He was missing the physical contact he usually receives from friends and classmates, and Yamagata was the only brave enough for the task, aside from Tendou. 

Yamagata's appearance brightened the rest of the table, and Yuuji could get up and get his second plate of food. 

He would enjoy himself thoroughly, while acting out as if Ushijima wasn't.

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

The practice of this team was... chaotic at best. Wakatoshi witnesses the difference while having the hardest time learning everyone's name. His respect for who this Yuuji person seemed to be had gone up a fraction when he found out that he was the captain of his own team. Terushima Yuuji, a second year at Jouzenji high school. Also, not left-handed. Wakatoshi had been able to make everyone believed that 'Yuuji' was trying something new, using his left-hand more often. This body wasn't exactly used to it, and many mistakes were made on Wakatoshi's side.

The problems of this... incident were layering themselves throughout the day. Wakatoshi wasn't anywhere close to home, and he never had been able to remember his friend's phone numbers by heart. He couldn't call Reon or Satori for help.

Meanwhile, he was stuck in a two against two match. When Bobata mentioned it this morning, Wakatoshi withheld himself from asking against whom. First, 'Yuuji' would have known. Second, Wakatoshi never cared who he was up against; he would defeat whoever came across him.

He hadn't believed a second that the 'row of matches' were this kind of practice. Unused to going for the receive himself, he counted himself lucky that this body reacted on instinct whenever it saw one. Together with his own abilities, he made somewhat satisfactory progress in the matches.

His temporary teammates however, didn't think alike. 

"Terushima, Christ! Stop that wussy-footing of yours." The boy named Bobata came up to him. This morning, Wakatoshi had learned that he wanted to be called Kazuma, and even Kazu-chan by this Yuuji person. A most informal, and for Wakatoshi uncomfortable way to address those he did not know. 

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, excuse you! Usually you give me frigging bruises when we bump into each other. I'm not made of sugar okay, you can go for the ball and I'll do the same. Like always." Bobata huffed, lifting his shirt to wipe sweat off his forehead. Wakatoshi wasn't sure how to counter, except that he had a question.

"You require bruises in order for practice to feel good for you? I simply think that quite often, you're faster in reaction and that it is more sensible for you to-"

"Are you pranking me or what the fuck is this language? You never cared for me being better at receiving before, god." Bobata huffs again, then goes back behind the line where he came from. "Anyway, you can't set for shit today. I don't know where you send these balls flying man,"

"That's quite enough!" The girl manager (another woman he angered a lot today), claps her hands together. Wakatoshi believes that this girl's name was Hana. But she could also be Runa. He upset them both this morning when he saw them in the halls. 

"Bobata, if the balls go everywhere, you just have to be faster and make the spike. Up the pace." The manager says, then checking with the smaller and younger girl for the score. "One more point loss and you guys are out."

Hating to lose, Wakatoshi breathes out, and readies his body. Whatever the reason behind these insane and impossible two versus two's are, he doesn't want to be responsible for them losing. With everyone yelling, he watches the net as Hana/Runa throws the ball up.

Wakatoshi dashes forward, sliding his body across the floor in order to receive the ball. 

And Bobata slides too, making a split, and kicks Wakatoshi in the side. Groaning at the impact, Wakatoshi bites through the pain as he watches the ball bouncing off his hand and over the net to their opponents, who stand struck to the ground and watch it fall.

Sighing, Wakatoshi stands up, ignoring the sharp pain in his side, or the wide eyes everyone gives him.

"We're not done yet." He groans out, nodding to the smaller girl at the net, who hasn’t gone after the rolling ball. “Let’s continue.”

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

 

Usually Yuuji would notice onlookers because of his looks. In Ushijima’s body, he has noticed a few throughout the day. But entering the gymnasium after the disastrous morning had him at the receiving end of apprehensive looks. No one knew what ‘this’ Ushijima would do next. Everything that had been known had gone through a 360 degree change, and Yuuji, while revelling in the fact that he’s unpredictable, came to terms that this might not be a good thing as a third year captain and ace of a powerhouse school like Shiratorizawa. 

He’s learned his lesson, and kept more silent, more to himself. 

 

~

 

_**[This morning…]** _

Even as Yuuji thinks about using his left hand, the running up approach’s execution ends up all twisted. He tries hitting the ball with his right hand more often than not, already practicing the grave voice saying ‘I am Ushiwaka, ace of this team. Of course it was only a matter of time before I became ambidextrous’. 

To no avail. Yuuji has to swallow each and every syllable when their head coach, Washijou, gives him the scolding of a lime time. He wonders if people with big eyebrows (read: his cute manager), had a tendency to be given a commanding attitude and scary scoldings by birth.

Whatever privileges Yuuji would have had hoped Ushiwaka had, are gone after Washijou is done yelling. As soon as he’s back at the spiking line up, whispers murmur in the background reach Yuuji’s red ears. How this scene of Ushijima scolded by their coach has never been seen before. Ushiwaka with red ears; incredible. 

At the end of the line, the pretty third year setter Semi Eita (whom Yuuji liked a lot more than the snotty second year brat) and the fun-looking Tendou Satori (who was super comfortable around Ushijima, gave Yuuji weird stares.

“Wasn’t that like, the first time Washijou got angry at you?” Semi asks, while Tendou holds back a grin, wiggling his hips. 

“No, no. Only the loudest and eh, most-watched and! Most noticeable. You remember in our first year, Eita-kun?”

“Please, that was nothing. A mild breeze compared to what would follow.” Semi sighs, staring down at the middle of the net. The coaches had chosen their regular setter Shirabu and a novice first year setter to handle the spikers. Semi seemed bitter about it, but Yuuji knew better than to share someone having such intense and hungry eyes up. 

“Anyway, back to the main problem here. What’s wrong with you?” Semi asks Yuuji, staring at Ushijima’s suddenly useless hands.

“Uh,” Yuuji looks at the ceiling, then reverts back to the original plan. “I want to be ambidextrous. Y’know? Surprising our eh, opponents.” 

Yuuji lost faith in his strategy of why he’s absolutely garbage in this body as soon as Semi and Tendou’s eyes widen. 

“But Wakatoshi-kun, you’re strong already! And you know our coach relies on that strength. We don’t need any other gimmicks.” Tendou snorts, moving ahead in line. For reasons Yuuji would rather not take responsibility for, the line moves slower than before. If the captain and ace of the team doesn’t perform, it seems to take the whole team down. At least here it does. No one tries to give each other a pep talk, or rally behind those that don’t do well. It’s a harsh environment, and much less playful than what Yuuji is used to.

After the scolding (and not wishing to have a repeat of it), Yuuji concentrates. Ushijima is a lefty, and so he has to play with his left arm. After the first few fails, he follows the instinct of this body, hoping for the best. At last he can do the proper approach and set off higher than he ever could, spiking the balls with his left hand, and leaving the libero on the other side jumping after it. The natural order restores itself, and the practice goes along smoother than before. 

After the spikes, they do routine blocks. This is a lot easier to do, but Yuuji can’t get over the fact that he’s so much taller and wider now, and that he reaches over the net with so much more fluid ease. He must make surprised faces half the time, because even when he’s poor at blocking, the other guys cannot react to it. Oohira, must noticeable of all, stares at Yuuji long after the ball has been picked up.

“Too bad! Try harder next time.” Yuuji laughs through Ushijima’s teeth, then turns to Tendou for a double high five. Tendou raises his arms, wide-eyed, and unable to give as much energy as Yuuji would have expected. Then again, he’s never seen Ushijima do this either. _’He’s a weird captain, for sure…’_

Oohira is surely someone Yuuji could easily fall for, if he’d be in the mood for big, burly, and kind. Yuuji already appreciates the dedication of keeping up a crew cut, and he’s fairly attracted to people with thick brows. But this body doesn’t react in a way that these feelings should be allowed in the slightest, and Yuuji holds his stomach. The thought of liking Oohira, even just viewing him as a good-looking guy and valuing the body image, gives him an unpleasant gut-feeling. If this was his own body, he would have expected sexual anticipation. But inside Ushijima, it feels as if all the wrong buttons are pushed. Yuuji still believes he’s the closest person Ushijima has as a friend, and maybe that’s what so averse in seeing Oohira in a more involved light.

 _’Okay okay okay, big bear dude is off-limits, I get it!’_ Yuuji spews on the inside, trying to find another target. He shouldn’t be giving anyone the Stare, of course, but he cannot help looking at the guys; the whole team is made up off big, strong people. _’No no no, we’ve talked about this. Other guys aren’t just flesh, Yuuji. Now stop this nonsense and fucking play ball!’_

They stay within the split groups, now playing practice matches against each other. 

“Here I go,” Tendou announces behind the line, throwing the ball up for his serve. Yuuji’s focus shifts at long last, and he tries not to look at Oohira anymore. 

_’Yeah, after all… Ushiwaka isn’t so bad-looking himself.’_ He shakes that thought off too, when the serve is returned. Without thinking, Yuuji goes for the ball, receiving it, and watching it fall next to the setter. Next to him, Tendou stands with his arms wide, and mouth open.

“Wakatoshi-kun, I totally wanted to set you up for the pipe. Didn’t you see Shirabu’s sign?”

Yuuji looks at Tendou, at Shirabu (having a mild concussion, probably) and then at the ball. Whoops.

“Of course I saw it. I happened to come to the quick decision it was not the right course of action.” Yuuji bluffs, trying not to blink. His mother could always tell he’d lie through this tell he had. It comes to his favour that Ushijima seems to be an unblinking asshole, and the attitude helps to set this side of the net straight. “We should keep moving before another scolding comes our way.”

Shirabu quickly reacts, probably having his own memory of one fresh in mind. He rolls the ball to the other side. 

“What do you meaaan, our way!? You were scolded last,” Tendou laughs out loud, his eyes crinkling just at the thought. “Oh, but see!”

His words become a whisper, and a helpful one at that. “Shirabu still wants to try the pipe, Wakatoshi-kun!”

This time Yuuji keeps his body rooted to the spot as long as it takes for the trajectory to be completed. Not going for every ball is what seems the strategy over here. It doesn’t matter; Yuuji enjoys the practice, as lots of balls find their way to him. He has to mentally and physically root himself in place in order not to go for the receives, but it works out better for them. Ushijima’s body has stamina for weeks, or so it feels. It’s still weird to have so many people talk and look up to him in such a respectful manner. Yuuji tries to keep it as chill as possible, firing smiles each and everyone’s way, and confuses the load of them.

At last practice is done, and Yuuji cannot believe he survived it somehow. Oohira comes his way, patting his back.

“Well done getting over… whatever it was that stopped you before. Well-played.”

“Yes,” Yuuji takes Oohira’s hand, and pulls him into a hug. Not out of any selfish reasons, but he just thought that maybe, this is how Ushijima would be with his best friend. 

He was wrong. A couple of second years including Shirabu and Kawanishi look at them strangely, the third year libero laughs out loud and hits Yuuji’s back. Oohira stares at him as if he’s seeing a ghost. Yuuji pulls away quickly, following the libero whose name was Yamazata-something. Yamagashi. Yamahata. A mountain for sure! Another cool member of the undercut squad, and from what Yuuji has picked up, Ushijima sits in the same class as him.

“Hey, wait for me.” Yuuji puffs, fast on his feet to get to Yama-something, and leaving Oohira and all other onlookers in the dust. 

Volleyball should have been easy and it wasn’t. Only the gods knew how Yuuji would survive a third year curriculum. 

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Brown hair, never looking pleased to see 'Yuuji', third year manager: Misaki Hana.

Blond hair, looking terrified and nervous, first year manager: Kuribayashi Runa. 

At last Wakatoshi knows who is who. Kuribayashi crouches beside him, her hands fidgeting and her face a bunch of nerves. Wakatoshi sees the look often. On the streets when he runs, in the convenience store when Eita and Satori drag him along, whenever he boards public transportation. Most often, he finds the look in his opponents, especially those in the first matches of the prefecture preliminaries.

He never elicits this kind of response from dogs. They know he's kind. They can smell it. 

"Kuribayashi-san, I can take care of that myself."

"....!" She gasps, her eyes shifting from Wakatoshi's newly acquired bruise at his ribcage, to the ground, and toward his face. 

"Hana-san said you weren't yourself today and that you need looking after!" Kuribayashi replies, her fingers around a scissor as she cuts a piece of sports tape off. Wakatoshi's shirt is wedged between his upper arm and chest, and Kuribayashi was done putting creme and a bandage. Wakatoshi offers to do the rest because she seems conscious to touch him. 

"Kuribayashi-san," he starts, but doesn't make it far.

"And you never call me that, Terushima-kun! You're so... quiet and not energetic at all." She pushes out, then puts the sports tape secure over the bandage, less fidgety than before. 

"...I apologize. I don't feel- I'm not myself today."

"You could say that again..." Kuribayashi sighs, checking if all is in order. When she's done, she places all the items back into the first aid kit. Wakatoshi doesn't know why he's not sent to the nurse for something like this, but he could guess, given what he's heard from the people here, and their expectations. Terushima Yuuji must have quite a reputation.  
Looking at his knees, Wakatoshi has a little inkling as to how to address the girl beside him. 

"Runa-chan, do you happen to know-" Wakatoshi stops as Kuribayashi's face becomes red. He wonders what's wrong with her. He must have made a mistake again. 

"Please take the bandage off tomorrow morning and wash the bruise, okay!? I have to go now." The little girl runs off before Wakatoshi can understand what happened. Surely, some of Yuuji's friends come by. 

"Damn, Yuuji, you're harsh man." Futamata huffs, watching Kuribayashi as she puts the first aid kit back.

"...I'm sorry?"

"Well you kinda crushed her dreams last week saying that the boy she likes was garbage, didn't you?" Bobata continues. "The kid in her class, remember? I think we threatened him on Thursday."

"No, no, it was Friday." Futamata laughs. "We had our jersey's on and took Misaki-chan as well. Tch, all kinds of dudes think our little Kuri-chan is so innocent and up for the taking."

"And me calling her Runa-"

"The kid called her that the entire time before, when he came here to stalk her. Don't you remember at all?" Bobata asks, giving Wakatoshi a hand. Being unused to people giving him a hand or being able to pull him off the ground, Wakatoshi rejects the friendly gesture and makes to stand himself. 

"Anyway, I'm sure Kuri-chan will get over it. She has us, after all!" Futamata laughs, and Bobata grins back. 

Wakatoshi agrees, kind of hoping it's the reaction they want to see. He's glad enough that it wasn't a case of where the girl, Kuribayashi, liked this guy whose body he's in at the moment. 

"Now that's out of the way... Dude are you good? Sorry for the kick." Bobata laughs, and Wakatoshi waves it away, commanding these facial structures into a smile. Once he figured out that they come natural and are eagerly sort after, it’s easier to smile to these strangers, and put them at ease.

"Pay no mind." He answers, having the feeling that these kind of accidents happen more often here than at Shiratorizawa. He follows them out of the gymnasium after they have cleaned everything up, and follows behind the crowd, unsure where to go or how to get where Yuuji lives. He hadn't thought about this before, being faced with everything he had seen so far. He knew Bobata and Numajiri would go back to the central station where Yuuji's mother had dropped Wakatoshi off, but from there it was a mere guess. 

Numajiri, the boy Yuuji's mother called 'Rin-chan' (and who Wakatoshi had believed was a girl), looks over his shoulder back to where Wakatoshi walks unsure behind the group.  
"I hope whatever is keeping you down today is gone tomorrow. You usually lead the group to the conbini."

Being no stranger to leading, Wakatoshi nods to himself. He never minded spearheading a group into a certain direction, even when he didn't quite know the route. While he was always sure of himself and his abilities, he felt a discomforting fragility. It had nothing to do with this fit body being smaller and less wider than his. Wakatoshi faced one of the problems here, bigger and more terrifying than when he was younger. 

Social situations could set him on edge. While he learned to keep his head high at all times and prove himself through the sport he loves, Wakatoshi had no idea how to act here. While it didn't matter as much in Shiratorizawa academy, both the junior and high school division, he felt the social expectations and not knowing how to react to the people around him more vividly in this group. The team and school were so different, and Terushima seemed to be sociable and very likable. Nothing Wakatoshi ever cared to be, or had to be for that matter. Their play styles were worlds apart, too, not helping the volleyball matter either. 

“Uhm, Teru?” 

Wakatoshi turns his head, then reminds himself to speak up instead of nodding.

“Yes?”

The group stands behind him, having stopped for reasons unknown.

“The uh, conbini is the other way.”

“Ah, of course. Apologies.” Wakatoshi makes a u-turn in hopes to fix his mistake, but misses the target yet again. While he tries to figure out where he should be going, the smallest person of the group comes forward. 

“T-Teru, here. It’s this way, remember?” ‘Tsucchi’, as the libero was called by everyone, helps out by taking the one road of the T-split Wakatoshi hasn’t gone in before, but would have been his third and final option. Wakatoshi thanks him kindly, then lets the libero lead as much as it doesn’t show that he would be at a loss otherwise. It doesn’t help that he hears the whispers from the guys who follow behind.

“You think he hit his head this morning?”

“Did someone kick his head in?”

“I don’t know man, but he’s off today.”

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Finding the convenience store was one thing. Surviving it was a whole other. After the day he had, Wakatoshi couldn’t let his guard down for a minute, even when he browsed the aisles. He hoped to find a neutral thing to buy, and not raise further suspicion from the others. He licked his lips, trying to make this body tell him what the actual owner would want at this moment.

“Hey, handsome.”

Wakatoshi blinks past the aisle to the person standing right next to him. Same size as Terushima, hair styled on the wilder side, a high school student most likely. Wakatoshi looks behind him to see if there was anyone else, but finds himself alone with this stranger. He hoped to god that Terushima behaves-

“Ehehe, hey I’m over here.” The boy says again, leaning one arm against the aisle. Wakatoshi has seen this behaviour before. He wasn’t ready for it. But he wouldn’t apologize. 

“What do you want?” He asks as politely as he can, but it comes out rougher in Terushima’s voice. The guy doesn’t back off though, and his grin widens. Wakatoshi wills his feet not to back off. He might not have his usual size to speak for itself, but Terushima didn’t seem the type to cower easily. And Wakatoshi’s will is undefeatable.

“I’ve seen you around here sometimes, that’s all. You go to Jouzenji high, right? And you have club activities?” The boy licks his lips, and Wakatoshi believes he must have done so earlier himself. Had he been… inviting this kind of behaviour? He must try and be more careful in this skin that wasn’t his to begin with.

Wakatoshi took a deep breath and squared the fit shoulders Terushima has, then turned to the boy. Direct approach above all.

“I have no interest, thank you. Now let me be.” Wakatoshi leaves the stranger in the dust, not picking anything from the aisle and finds Bobata soon enough. He and a couple of the others were standing at the corner of the aisle. Wakatoshi wouldn’t want to think that they eavesdropped, but by the looks on their faces, they must have heard bits and pieces. They don’t say anything however.

As the group filters out of the convenience store in various degrees of having bought something or not, Bobata comes to Wakatoshi’s side.

“Hey that guy… he didn’t look that bad.”

“That might be so.” Wakatoshi agrees, feeling a small anxiety biting at the back of his head. He wanted to leave sooner and figure out where to go next, not be caught here again by the other boy. Bobata was a good friend of Terushima’s however, and Wakatoshi didn’t want to be rude.

“Yeah, so… Why didn’t you flirt with him like you’d usually would? You know I tease you a lot, but I don’t mean anything by it! And as you say; flirting and exchanging numbers doesn’t hurt.” Bobata chuckles, saying good bye and waving to ‘Tsucchi’ as he leaves. Then he turns to Wakatoshi, who still doesn’t have an answer for his earlier reactions. Terushima wasn’t only popular with both sexes, he seemed to act on impulses and opportunities. Maybe it should have been Wakatoshi’s duty to build on those desired relationships…

The thought of it saddens him, for reasons he can’t explain. The gloom look doesn’t suit Terushima, as Wakatoshi stares at the convenience store’s reflective image. He murmurs he doesn’t know. 

“Hey, it’s alright! I remember you said you were into bigger guys right now. So I get it, y’know, if you’re taking it easier on the flirting.” Bobata smiles, patting Wakatoshi’s arm. 

When the group diverges, and Wakatoshi is about to have a moment alone and figure out how to find Terushima’s house again, he’s saved by a call from the mother he had seem to bother and make angry all morning. After saying good bye to everyone, she called him and said she’d pick him up, too. Glad he can avert another crisis, Wakatoshi puts himself in a visible spot for her to find him, after he ensured he said the right address. 

As he waits, he tries not to make eye contact. It’s not his style, but he doesn’t want to accidentally get too much attention from strangers again. There’s a couple of girls that walk by giggling and colouring as they walk by, but Wakatoshi ignores them all. 

What Bobata said sticks to Wakatoshi like a leech. Bigger guys.

Was Wakatoshi big enough to fit that category…?

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

 

Yuuji sits down at the mess table with gusto, just wanting to relax for a moment. A few tables away, the youngest libero shifts away from him. Yuuji blinks, not thinking that he moves Ushiwaka in such a intimidating way. While he waits for the usual group of people to flock around him, Yuuji tries to remember what room he came out of this morning. It wouldn’t do if he’d walk the dorms aimlessly. Did he had a key this morning? No, he didn’t lock a door.

“Aren’t you hungry?” A voice says close to him, and Yuuji turns his head to watch Oohira observing him.

Nodding, and keeping silent, Yuuji starts to dig into the food. It’s actually really nice, living at the school grounds. But he misses going out and heading home. He misses his parakeets above everything. If he’s in Ushijima’s skin, Ushijima must have taken his place.

It wasn’t only now that Yuuji thought about that, but he never had enough time to let it sink in. He wonders how Ushijima is doing on the other end. Alas, his thoughts are interrupted once more when Tendou sits in front of him.

All day, Yuuji could’ve talked so much with this guy. They had the same interest in manga, and liked the same type of girls mostly. Yuuji wondered if Tendou had ever strayed from the straight path. But answering the numerous questions of Tendou had raised a couple of eyebrows, (both of Oohira, for example), and Yuuji had to hold back. Short, simple answers, mostly in the negative; that was the plan. Ushijima should really enjoy his life a little more and read Shonen Jump.

Dinner goes by like that, and a lot smoother than lunch. Yuuji bites his tongue (missing the piercing all the time), and tries to keep this face serene and unbothered. Even when Shirabu starts to nag at Goshiki, or Yamagata (he finally remembered!) ribs Kawanishi and other tall middle blockers. 

Yamagata keeps returning most of the taunts towards Kawanishi though, and Yuuji just can’t keep it together.

“Hey Yamagata, did you know that teasing people like that, you’re asking for kisses? It’s a proverb I’ve- seen somewhere.” Yuuji keeps the low voice down, then murmurs at the end when half the table falls silent and looks at him weirdly.

“What?” Yuuji asks, making Ushijima’s larger hands grip the chopsticks again to continue eating as if he hadn’t said something out of the ordinary. Of course, being Yuuji trapped in someone who is the exact opposite of him on so many grounds, he cannot help but only say things out of the ordinary.

“You heard him, Yamagata-san.” Kawanishi murmurs, finished with his food and leaving. Shirabu is close on his heels, blinking at Yuuji.

Yamagata looks back at Yuuji. “Now where the hell did you hear that kind of saying, Wakatoshi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope the fic is enjoyable so far!! And not too confusing ;v; If there's any mistakes, please don't hesitate to tell me. I'd looooveeeee to know what everyone thinks of this fic so leaving a comment would make me incredibly happy TvTb


	3. Interlude; evening activities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After carrying this body through school hours and practice, through new surroundings and in front of unknown people, the two boys that swapped bodies take some time to take it easy and relax.
> 
> Meanwhile, Kawanishi Taichi has a theory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk why but I sometimes find it hard to write the actual smut for some fics. I wasn't sure what I wanted for this for a long time. Somehow the idea of masturbating while in different bodies sounded really fun to me. I'm pretty sure it's a grey area of how appropriate it is (given there's no actual consent from the person who the body belongs too...). So I decided to find good reasons and blur the lines. 
> 
> I hope no one feels uncomfortable by it! If its not your thing or you don't want to read mature erotic content, you're all free to skip the parts and skim past to the plot of the story.
> 
> That said, I had a looot of fun writing this part so I hope there's a few who will enjoy it also 8D I kept Ushijima's part a bit open and more emotional involved about his insecurities, while Terushima feels little to no shame in doing what he thinks has to be done. Plus I didn't want to write the exact same things for the two of them.

Standing behind the closed door of Terushima’s bedroom, Wakatoshi let’s out a deep sigh. He’s never been one to let ordinary things take him down, but today had him out of sorts. At last he had time to think about what had happened, how it had happened, and how he might reverse the process. If anything, he really wished to wake up in his own bed tomorrow, and that this would be over.

But not a moment of peace was granted to him, when the chirping started. 

“You two again.” Kinder than how he may have behaved this morning, Wakatoshi walks over to the birdcage and finds their water basin full, but their food reservoir in need to refilling. Quick in his actions, he replenishes the need of the parakeets, and finds their talons slowly making their way, thin bar for bar, to the source of food.

“You didn’t ask for any of this, either.” Wakatoshi muses, the birds definitely a lot happier and less noisy when they’re being fed. During a task done at the library, Wakatoshi had researched ‘care for parakeets’ without anyone noticing. They needed to be talked to a lot and have conversation. At a low murmur, Wakatoshi lay out his troubles of the day, knowing the little birds could keep a secret. 

He finds dumbbells at his feet, and opts to train Terushima’s biceps by curling the dumbbells upwards to his chest. They’re very light to Wakatoshi’s taste, but feeling the tension in these muscles, they must be the right size and weight for Terushima to get good reps out of them.  
“Yuuji, I’m taking a bath first okay? You can go in half an hour.”

“Yes, thank you.” Wakatoshi tried to add chirpiness to his voice, but it came out flatter. Terushima’s mother must have not minded, or has been past the point of minding her son’s weird behaviour for today. Sighing again to himself, Wakatoshi places the dumbbells back where he took them away from. He presses a finger against the thin bars of the birdcage, and doesn’t mind when the little birds’ beaks nip at the pad of the same digit.

 

Reon has often given him advice. Wise beyond his years, Reon would always help Wakatoshi, whenever it was deemed necessary. Wakatoshi remembers one of the sayings his childhood friend told him once. If you wanted to understand your present, you'd have to trace back your past.  
Sitting in this room meditating, Wakatoshi thinks back to yesterday night. What he did, what he ate. All according to normalcy. Between that and when he'd gone to sleep, nothing seems unusual. Then a voice nags at the back of his head, and Wakatoshi faces what he thought about yesterday. Breathing out deeply, he lets his old thought process return.

He had been lying on his own bed, lights on, and thinking. It was too early to sleep. Eita and Hayato were playing a game on Satori's console, Reon was busy with some first and second years, either mentoring them with homework or being a mentor in other fields of what he was good at. Reon had been the only person Wakatoshi could trust his inner secrets to. One of them was that in the last years, he took a liking to his own sex. 

Before, Wakatoshi had turned down girls because he wouldn't have known what to do with a partner in a romantic relationship. But after his 16th birthday, he came to see 'men' in another light, and understood that his turning down girls had another reason, too. It never bothered him much afterwards, but he had felt better after he told Reon, who took it with a smile and didn't act any different.

Being 17 and having little to no experience, Wakatoshi's body had become restless. Something was missing. He never had troubles sleeping before, and never needed another body beside him. But in the past months, he found himself worrying about social activities and finding someone he liked. 

Sighing out loud in _this_ body, Wakatoshi thinks he detects the reasoning of this misplacements of souls. He had wished for things he could do not. He had wanted to more sociable, to attract boys perhaps, and be thought of as attractive. It went without saying, when Wakatoshi looks in the mirror, he saw Terushima Yuuji as an attractive kid. In all the pictures in this room and on the phone Terushima carried, he smiles, winks, has his arms around people. He looks playful, just like the play style of the team. He seems as bright as the jersey colour Jouzenji has. As joyful as the birds he keeps. 

Wakatoshi is fairly sure after the first hand experience, that Terushima didn't have any sort of problems finding a partner, and it would be easy for him to shower them in affection. Wakatoshi didn't dare go through Terushima's phone or his personal effects. It would go against not only the matter of privacy, but also trust. Wakatoshi could only hope that, if by some chance, Terushima was inside _his_ body, he would pay the same respect towards Wakatoshi's things, as little as he cared to have. 

The thought of Terushima inside Wakatoshi's body gave an odd effect. They were nothing alike in personality or how they carried themselves. Wakatoshi wonders how Terushima's day had fared this far, and if there was someway Wakatoshi could contact him. He knew where Shiratorizawa academy was, but the way would be too long to go after school and be home in time for Terushima's mother not to become mad again, or worse, worry. 

Sighing is all he can do, for now. Saturday was close. He'd have morning classes, and be free after. Wakatoshi must try to meet back with his own body, and see how Terushima was doing. If they could work out what happened and return to their own selves by some luck.

But first he has to take care of the this body, and it's basic needs. Thinking about Terushima did something odd to Wakatoshi's mind. While he believes it's a violation against a moral code, Wakatoshi can also argue against that. Because Terushima's center burns up and has an arousal upcoming, and it must be Wakatoshi's duty to take care of it.

Just for tonight.

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Categorizing Tendou as a human whirlwind would have been an understatement. The way he behaves around people and how his mouth never stops running wasn’t averse to Yuuji. It had been hard to keep the stoic facade alive with Tendou around, and Yuuji broke at last when he sees Tendou holding the latest Weekly Shonen Jump in his lap. Bending over, Yuuji notices too late the shadow this large body casts. Tendou looks up, his neck craning backwards, showing a flexibility Yuuji had yet to find in Ushijima’s skin.

“Whaaat?” Tendou sings, and Yuuji rasps his throat.

“...Did you like the latest chapter?” Yuuji asks, hoping to sound inconspicuous enough. Tendou’s brow arches, his mouth curls to follow. He closes the WSJ with his thumbs in between as page markers.

“Wakatoshi-kun, last week you said you hadn’t read it yet. At all.” 

_’Well shit.’_ Yuuji keeps his expression neutral, going for a save. “And then I did. In that week. This week.”

Tendou blinks, one foot stepping back as he looks down inside his copy again. “You read 208 chapters in one week. When?” 

He needed an Ushijima reactions, something high and mighty, undeniable. “Were it that much..? I didn’t notice.” 

Cursing how Ushiwaka didn’t make time to even read manga, Yuuji found himself trapped. Tendou’s face didn’t come out of the perplexed state he’s been thrown into. Yuuji gave it another try to save face and cover.

“I might have skipped an arc. Or two. Fillers,” Yuuji acts half-dumb, thinking it would befit Ushijima. Tendou jumps on it.

“Wakatoshi-kun! You can’t just skip parts of the story! And I’ve explained already how fillers are in the anime version to-” Tendou waves his WSJ around, falling into a ramble of ethics and proper patience. Explaining how Ushijima can’t just waltz through stories or memorize so much in such a little time. Counting his blessings, Yuuji lets him rant. They walk towards the baths slowly, another area where Yuuji might feel trapped once he’s inside. If only he can survive this too... 

~

Oohira took him aside after Yuuji exited the spacious baths. Shiratorizawa may just have been a powerhouse school because they treated their pupils like paid athletes. A lot of the rich kids here looked the part too; pampered to the maximum. Yuuji still couldn’t put Oohira in that category though, even as the big guy fit the athlete part seamlessly.  
Towel around their midst and steam following towards the changing area, Yuuji readies himself for yet another confrontation. He had hoped to take a quick dip and then bounce, but Yamagata had challenged him to a ‘who can stay in the hot bath longest’. Goshiki, who was always on the verge of making challenges himself, had joined in the fray. Yuuji didn’t think Ushiwaka was one to say no, and had somewhat endured.

But the fight was long from over. Yuuji didn’t actually feel bothered by looking at a half-naked Oohira, not after it had been established that he and Ushijima were good friends after all.  
Oohira gave the last people in the changing room a glance as they left, then uncrossed his arms.

“Have you thought about the things we’ve discussed last week?” Oohira asks. Yuuji had already gotten used to the kindness of his voice, but couldn’t be soothed by it. It would have been helpful to have all the memories alongside the body, but this was yet another thing only the real Ushijima would remember.

Or would he?

“Uhm,” Yuuji looks the other way, rubbing the back of his neck. Not the worst tactic as Oohira gives a soft chuckle. His hand runs smoothly over Yuuji’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. 

“I have told you before, Wakatoshi. There’s no need to fret around me. I will always be your friend. And if it's fine with you to have only come out to me, that it's also fine with me. I cannot imagine how hard it is for you, but I’ll be there if you need me. If you don’t want to tell the others, your secret will be kept safe with me. I’ve kept it for a good 2 years now.”

Yuuji froze, barely managed to nod and ease Oohira’s mind. He went through the motions to change, to make small talk on another topic (which in Ushijima’s case meant responding as a bare minimum). Inside, he was a storm. A whole new world crashing open. Changed and ready to go back to the dorms, Yuuji holds Oohira back, who looks surprised. 

“Reon… thanks. I’m very grateful.” Yuuji says, his voice low. Oohira’s eyebrows rise up, both at the same time. Then he smiles. One that Yuuji tries to meet in appropriate Ushiwaka measures. 

Outside, Yuuji sees Kawanishi waiting, thankfully for Oohira. He says his goodbyes and tries to remember where the dorms are, when Yamagata helps him out.

_’I really hope good Ushiwaka isn’t in love with him, or I might have blown a chance here.'_ No, given how the mighty Ushijima seems to be anxious about his sexuality, Yuuji had no right to mess around. Even if this was the reason they swapped bodies, like an universal helping thing. Because Ushijima already had a good support system; one Oohira easily counted for ten men. 

Maybe Yuuji should try to contact Ushijima after all this was over... 

~ 

The baths had been another exciting adventure. Apart of all the fit and strong guys Shiratorizawa had in just the volleyball club, Yuuji came across a lot of guys from the other strong clubs Shiratorizawa had. No one suspected anything when his gaze wandered, or when in return he didn’t recognize people that greeted him back. But that wasn’t what had Yuuji on edge and gave him the hardest time to not let Ushijima’s face smirk.

Looking at your own dick was not done in public, and so Yuuji had waited until he returned to Ushijima’s dorm room. He’d been in luck with that; Yamagata lived next to Ushijima, and had walked him back talking about a cute girl he was interested in. Yuuji had a tough time shutting his mouth, but he tried to give Ushijima-like responses and said ‘good luck on that’ in the end. 

When he was finally safe behind a locked door, Yuuji pulled at the waistbands of both his track bottoms and his underwear. 

“Holy fucking shit, this dude is _huge_ ,” Yuuji said out loud, feeling weirded out hearing Ushijima’s voice with his own tone. Mouth wobbling, Yuuji tip-toed over to the mirror where he had first seen the horror of waking up in someone else’s skin. Slowly, as if unwrapping a present, he pulled down Ushijima’s pants. _’He’s got it all but doesn’t use it? What. A. Shame.’_ Yuuji thought to himself. He didn’t know if it was just his current thing for big strong guys at this point, or the body swapping weirdness of it. As much as he has disliked Shiratorizawa’s ace mere 24 hours ago, he was seriously liking his looks at this point. 

The thought in the brain went straight down below. Yuuji blinks when he first feels, then sees the little twitches. Ushijima’s penis starts to throb, sending out strong signals of arousal. Making sure the door is locked, Yuuji jumps into bed and leaves all garment on the floor next to him. He’s sad when there’s no lubrication or magazines in Ushijima’s room. _’This guy doesn’t know how to live a good life…’_

Closing his eyes, Yuuji does what he’d do when he has the time; letting the fingers gently stroke the sides and hipbones, trying to see if he can make this body shake. In the very back of his mind he knows that there’s probably a moral law against this sort of exploration, but he can’t help it. The body wants what it wants, and Ushijima’s penis is just too thick and needy to not heed the call of self-pleasuring. 

“Jesus damn he’s large,” Yuuji whispers, but then bites down the lips. He should shut up. Maybe he could make Ushijima moan, and think that both their bodies would be here and fooling around. But it’s not the case. Carefully, he tugs and pulls, sliding his hand up and down the hard length. 

Sinking into the bed, it doesn’t feel so harsh anymore. Yuuji is no stranger to masturbating, and makes sure to do it whenever his body finds a need. He’s not the horniest teen in his year, and keeps most of his erotic escapades either alone or with someone else under tight wraps. Half the fun is the secrecy. The more he pleasures Ushijima’s skin, the more he’s able to relax and not think about how and why he’s here. One track minded, he quickens his hand, unable to keep the soft moans from exhaling. 

His own hands would be much smaller than Ushijima’s, and the thought of jerking him off like that drives Yuuji over the edge. He keeps on coming, and the liquids spill over the hands and thighs, spurting across the hard six pack. When he’s spent, Yuuji breathes out slowly, then sits up looking at the mess he made. 

_’Dude… you’re ought to pleasure yourself more. This is the picture of someone who doesn’t masturbate a lot…’_ Yuuji thinks, then gets to cleaning. At least Ushijima has tissues to spare. He’s mostly done with cleaning up the sperm and retrieving the boxer shorts from the ground, when this warm and pleasured body receives a shock. 

Yuuji hears people outside, and they’re knocking on the door. Ushijima’s door. _His_ door. 

"Gimme a sec!" He booms out in Wakatoshi's voice, louder than intended. Making sure that most of the bed is clean, he covers the evidence, then re-dresses himself and takes another look in the mirror. Cool, no blush. When Yuuji thinks Ushijima looks presentable, he checks the evening visitors behind the door. 

Its Ushiwaka's big buddy Oohira and one the second years, Kawanishi, Yuuji thinks.

"What up?" He says, immediately regretting the cheerful tone. 

"...See, Ushijima-san would never say that." Kawanishi points at Ushijima’s chest while looking at Oohira, who sighs and nods. 

"Let's go inside, first." Oohira smiles, a grim one Yuuji doesn't like it one bit. People look like this when Yuuji or his peers are in trouble. Oohira ushers Kawanishi inside, who enters reluctantly and passes Yuuji without touching him. He's the same age as Yuuji, but a year below Ushijima, and that respect showed all day, up until now. It's a mix, Yuuji thinks, of what Kawanishi believed this body was, and what he thinks it is now. 

_’Fuck my ass, they know.’_ Yuuji closes the door, then goes to stand in front of Ushijima’s bed, which must be still warm from before. 

"Taichi, alongside the rest of us, voiced a concern." Oohira says gently, but his eyes look cold. 

"And that would be..? 

"You're acting strange, Wakatoshi. You've done so all day." Oohira’s arms are crossed and they look beefier than they had all day, but Yuuji cannot be distracted by that any longer. He’s in serious trouble here. Yuuji's reaction would have been something awful and hurting, a tease of his tongue that would come out too harsh. He kept it to himself. Ushijima has a quiet power, and he must display that. Must try to still keep up the lie. He tries to win the staring contest with these two powerhouse monsters, as if he’s one of them. 

"Ushijima-san, you're not yourself today. You look the same but just..." 

"You're not acting like the person we know- Who I have known since I was child." 

Yuuji swallows. A childhood friend, after all. Someone who might have been kind enough to keep quiet so long, but whose suspicions were coming to an end. He bites his tongue yet again, unsure how to proceed. It would be cool to have a friend and talk about the strange accident, but Yuuji is also terrified of a worse outcome. People don’t just swap bodies, it’s not normal. 

When he doesn’t say anything, Oohira continues. 

"Taichi had an interesting theory, and while it sounds absurd and out of the world, I think he may be right." 

Yuuji looks at the boy. He tries to power up every stern wrinkle Ushijima possesses. Hopes the face alone would keep Kawanishi's tongue. But the act comes too late, and Kawanishi doesn't cower an inch. Instead he comes to step closer to Yuuji, who thinks that Ushijima would never back down from anyone. It's until that Kawanishi's face is too close for Yuuji to hold his damn tongue under the annoying scrutiny. 

"You want a kiss or something?" Yuuji says with Ushijima's voice, knowing it's another line crossed. 

"Who the hell are you? You're not Ushijima Wakatoshi, for one." Kawanishi bites, his eyes slits. 

Yuuji blinks from the boy up in his face to Oohira, whose arms are still crossed, and face looking cross with him. He's in deep shit. He knows a lost fight when he sees one. Sighing, he lets Ushijima’s shoulders droop. 

"Okay listen, this is going to sound crazy." 

"We've seen crazy all day." Oohira huffs, readying himself for the worst, hands on his hips. Even Kawanishi backs off at last, but not too much, as if he needs to get a look of Yuuji’s confession, but see if its for real. Yuuji looks them straight in the eye, which is easier to do with Kawanishi than Oohira. And it has nothing to do with the distance. 

"Look, I don't know what happened. Yesterday I was in my own house, in my own bed, in my own _body_ for crying out loud. I woke up this morning; boom, I'm here. No sign of my parakeets, no mom who greets me, and I'm in here," Yuuji gestures to Ushijima's totality, which is a lot. "For real, you think this is odd? I've been in Ushiwaka's skin for the whole day and I don't know why." 

Kawanishi takes a step back, not shaken. It must have been his suspicion. Oohira looks like a rock, one where a tsunami crashed upon, but still an immobile rock. 

"Again, who are you supposed to be?" His voice is at once kinder and more understanding, but still suspicious. Protective even. Yuuji inhales, knowing this is it. He’s either trusting of strangers, or will end up locked up in a crazy ward for his troubles. 

"Terushima Yuuji, from Jouzenji. We've never played each other... But just yesterday I was thinking how I wanted to take Ushiwaka down, and all of you guys, in the prelims. I didn't mean for this to happen!" The crisis sounds weird in Ushijima's tone, but Yuuji cannot pretend anymore. "I didn't actually want to sabotage you guys or this body in any possible way. Look, I don't know what's going on..." 

"Taichi... believed that you and Wakatoshi have swapped bodies. This is... quite a thing to process." Oohira closes his eyes, hand on his chin. Kawanishi nods. He doesn’t look shocked by this in the least, and takes over the reigns of the conversation. 

"I've read about this in a manga where it happened too. That's why I made the connection. It's weird but-" 

"It's ridiculous! I never believed in the paranormal, and I don't know how to go 'back'." 

Oohira's hands come towards him, not a moment harmful. They’re warm on Ushijima’s biceps, and they relax Yuuji within an instant. It’s a memory. Ushijima’s skin knows Oohira to be the least harmful person, and someone who has helped him. Yuuji’s trusts intensifies when the palms soothe over his arms. 

"Relax, breathe. Terushima, wasn’t it? We'll figure this out. Important is that at least we know. We have to find a way to revert the process, yes, but don't be afraid." Oohira smiles, the first time Yuuji sees it happening. He seems warmer and less warrior-like. A friend to Ushijima, for sure. More at ease, Yuuji falls back on the bed, letting Ushijima’s head fall into the large hands. 

“Which manga did you read?” He asks Kawanishi, snorting at the end. 


	4. Part 2; a new you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're both facing each other and go with Kawanishi's idea to change back.
> 
> Can a kiss really work that way?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it 8D final chapter and its climax ovo Sorry for taking extra time to upload. I had family stuff to take care of and I didn't get to make another final check on the last chapter ;v; I hope there's no mistakes~
> 
> The Oohira and Ushijima friendship is so important to me ;; I like to think they are childhood friends, or that they both went to Shiratorizawa academy junior high. Someone who knows Ushijima really well and to whom Ushijima would go for advice or silly questions uvu
> 
> I have always loved relationships of total opposites, so it was kind of natural to have Terushima be an exuberant bi extrovert whose affectionate, and Ushijima being a more silent introvert not knowing what his newfound interest to male bodies is. 
> 
> I don't think I'll write them again, but I had tons and tons of fun doing this one shot! I really wanted to try my hand on writing Terushima for the LONGEST time and he’s a lot of fun but somehow hard to write for ;v; on the other hand I just love writing Ushijima D: he's so adorable and awesome. I just can't with him. Maybe the body swap idea was just really har to write, but there's also other pairs i want to try with either of them 8D
> 
> I know this ship is one of those ultra rares that hardly anyone actively seeks out. So if you're huge into this ship or just gave it a try out of curiosity... thank you for reading!! I hope this last installment is fun for everyone. I had definitely a lot of joy writing it ovo

Wakatoshi has to call Bobata because he's lost. 

He went out at 5:30 after calming the parakeets down and making sure they would have enough sustenance for the day. He left a note to Terushima's mother to let her know he left the house and will buy lunch at school, and that she doesn't have to worry. Writing a note for someone else with his right hand was weird, but Ushijima believes it's somewhat readable. 

By 6:45, he still hasn't found Jouzenji high. The brain of the boy gives no indication, recognizes nothing. Wakatoshi had high hopes that the body knows where it belongs, that the feet would walk him there if only he kept walking. He’s must unwilling to ask for help, and has tried hard to not look suspicious this early in the morning. But the volleyball club had morning practice at 7:30, and Wakatoshi is at the end of his wits. 

When Bobata picks up, he's grumpy. Before Ushijima can utter a word, Bobata complains that two of their friends have been waiting at a certain place Terushima usually meets them, but has failed to show up yet.

"When was I supposed to be there...?" Wakatoshi mutters, blinking around himself. Maybe he’s close...

"Teru, 10 minutes ago, man!"

Wakatoshi swallows his pride. He hates this. He hates it when he cannot deliver, when he fails, when he’s hopeless. "And… where would that be… again?"

The phone is at a safe distance from his ear when the string of curses are slung his way. A wise move, as Bobata's shrill voice would have hurt him. Wakatoshi presses Terushima’s lips together; a flirty move, something he does. _’Of course this I can do. This is what the body remembers and allows me to do…’_

"Are you kidding me!? What do you mean, you don't know 'where that would be'? Terushima, you’ve been weird since yesterday. What the fuck?"

"That, and the road to school have slipped my mind," Wakatoshi says into the mouthpiece, then keeps the phone at arm's length again until Bobata's patience returns to him in a less shrill voice. He has stopped moving some time ago, wanting to concentrate and hope on help.

"Shit man, you're all sorts of weird lately. Is this a gay thing? It can't be a gay thing, right? I know I know, it's bisexual, but your newfound love for guys... wait, did you meet anyone cute on your way and that's how you got lost? Ugh no you rejected that guy yesterday. Okay, okay, I have a map in front of me... can you see a street name anywhere?" There’s so many questions to be answered, of which Wakatoshi can barely keep up with. He processes the tidbit of knowledge about Terushima as he tries to find a sign. 

Succeeding, he gives Bobata the information, and is in return given directions. While Bobata's fuming keeps itself to a minimum and listenable quality, Wakatoshi feels even worse for having touched Terushima's body in such perverted ways while thinking about him. Bisexual. He had talked about this with his friends once, when discussing sexuality. Satori had said he’d like to try, Eita had blushed a bit and denied everything. Reon had kissed a boy once to see what it was like. 

“Alright, stay the fuck where you are. Futamata lives close by and is coming for you. Seriously Teru, what the hell…” Bobata finishes and ends the conversation, leaving Wakatoshi standing stranded alone once more. Futamata he remembers, was the setter. Energetic like the rest of them, wanting to try out new things at every turn. 

Sighing, Wakatoshi starts playing around with the metal balls in his mouth. This must all be his own fault. He had wished to become more sociable, outgoing, and knowing how to find someone who liked boys too. Well, he found one.

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Once Wakatoshi is discovered by faces he has seen yesterday (although they're not friendly), he breathes a sigh of relief. The serenity doesn’t last long, as Wakatoshi is being put down by Futamata, Numajiri and Bobata. Not just by words, but quite literally on the first bench they find. Bobata steps of his bicycle, and has apparently taking a detour if only to scold Terushima.

“Okay, I am done. You’re so strange, Terushima, what the hell. When I told Futamata where you are he flipped his shit too.”

“Yeah, Numajiri and Nobu-kun waited for you the whole time, but you’ve been walking here?” Futamata sighs, half amused, half worried. Numajiri nods, explaining how he sent Higashiyama on his way. Futamata calls their manager and lies to her, over the phone. Wakatoshi thinks it's a brave thing when he hears which manager he’s talking to. Futamata tells her that ‘Yuuji’ (the tone is not lost on Wakatoshi) is sick and that they’re taking care of him right now. 

"Sorry Misaki-san, we're gonna be a little bit late! He must have hit his head yesterday… Yes I shall do that." While Futamata is on the phone, Bobata has taken a stance that gives Wakatoshi a weird feeling in his underbelly. Trouble is brewing. Once Futamata finishes his call, both of them focus their attention on Wakatoshi.

"Real talk. What is wrong with you?" Bobata asks, as if there’s something amiss which he likes to set right. Wakatoshi shares the sentiment, and doesn’t see another way out then telling the truth at last. He wouldn’t be able to keep it up much longer if driven to the point where he goes missing and becomes a problem to others.

“It's.” He starts, unsure how to explain. “I’m not me. Not the person you know."

"Figured," Numajiri, Rintarourourourou, 'Rin-chan' whispers. 

Looking at Terushima's hands and think of the defiling things Wakatoshi did with them, he breaks down inwardly. He's lost and confused, and not only inside Terushima's skin. There’s so much more going on and he’s past a point of being able to handle it. He can only speak of the things he knows for sure, and these three deserve to know the truth, as weird as it will sound on their ears.

"I am Ushijima Wakatoshi. And yesterday when I woke up, I found myself in your friend's body and bed." The sentence sounds strange, and Wakatoshi is quick to verify. “He wasn’t there himself, well, I am him right now. I do believe that he’s in my body, and woke up at Shiratorizawa. 

First there's silence. Then a chorus of 'No way's and 'Unbelievable's. And after 10 minutes of debating and answering questions, Bobata squats down in front of Wakatoshi, taking Terushima's face in his hands like he's done yesterday.

"Listen, dude. Ushiwaka. Shit that’s weird but, okay. Yuuji is my best friend and he always told me everything. You can put that same trust in me, okay? This is the strangest shit you’re saying, but I believe you. You’re not Yuuji, for one, and being someone else inside him somehow makes more sense than anything else. We're gonna make it right again, ‘kay?"

Wakatoshi finds himself nodding, having no other choice. He has to trust these temporary allies, for now. 

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

"Say that again?" Yuuji ask, putting Ushijima's eyebrows way up on the forehead. Taichi, as he got accustomed to call him in the short period of truly knowing each other, blushes at the ears and nowhere else, keeping the gaze.

"True lover's kiss. That's what they did in the manga."

Yuuji forgets for a moment which body he is in. That this beast is Ushiwaka, and that he’s much taller and more muscular. He towers over a sitting Taichi, pc chair squeaking beneath them both at the move. Taichi sits back in his own chair, and doesn't know where to look anymore.

"You're shitting me, huh? This is not a fucking shoujo fantasy adventure!"

"Terushima-kun, please calm yourself. And refrain from using those words and that tone when other people are around." Oohira says from behind a computer. They got in early into the computer lab, as Oohira has been scouring the internet for a solution for Yuuji's predicament. Taichi had brought his manga where the body swap, as it was called, had occurred. He keeps it on top of his thighs, defeated.

"It's what they did... And it helped."

"Yeah, what next? Evil witches, knights in shining armour, princes that are frogs!? You're off the rocker, man."

Taichi, remembering that this wasn't his third year senpai but a boy he didn't know the same age as him, stood up in what Yuuji believed could be counted as anger. He didn’t look as calm as before, anyway.

"Oh, am I now? You’re the one saying you swapped bodies but don’t know why or how. Well then figure it out yourself. You got into Ushijima-san’s skin, but you don’t know how to reverse it. I'm just trying to help." Taichi pushed past Ushijima's shoulder, a small feat for someone the same height. Yuuji feels on edge, justified, as well as ashamed and bad for lashing out like this. Taichi is just trying to help him.

Before Taichi can leave the lab, Oohira's voice rings through.

"Taichi, come back. Your insight is of value." Oohira than shoots Yuuji a look of displeasure, which makes Yuuji sit quietly in the seat he jumped out off. He still thinks Oohira is a force of nature which keeps quiet most of the time, but knows how to leash out in the most subtle ways. Taichi returns and sits down, while Yuuji manages a small apology. It’s waved off by Taichi.

"It's so weird hearing and seeing Ushijima-san behave like this..." Taichi laughs, and Yuuji knows they're good. 

"Same, man. I didn't know what to do at practice yesterday. We play way different than your team." Yuuji smiles widely, finding the stretch and boundaries of Ushijima's facial capacities way sooner than on his own beautiful visage. The oddity reflects on Taichi's face.

"You look weird doing that. Smiling all the time yesterday and being so loud made us all look twice, y'know. Watch out with that." Taichi then falls into a lecture on 'how to Ushiwaka', as Yuuji likes to call it. There's a lot of Don'ts, outweighing the To Do's and things Yuuji does naturally by far. 

"Basically my whole personality is the opposite of Ushiwaka, correct?" Yuuji asks at the end, and Taichi nods. Oohira gives up on finding anything plausible or usable online, and they had to head to practice. Taichi finds even more things to alert Yuuji to in ways of behaviour and actions as they walk to the gymnasium where their team trains. In the distance, Yuuji sees a few faces he remembers from yesterday, and fright returns to these bones  
"The things we found odd was you running in the group. Ushijima-san doesn't stay long once we're past the gate, and he runs ahead faster than anyone. You should be able to run fast and take big strides." Taichi offers, and Yuuji blows out his cheeks as he has so much to remember, and he doesn’t even know the route yet! Taichi pokes the air out of his cheeks.

"Don't do that."

Yuuji channels every ounce of fake-ass-ery he has inside of him, keeps his shoulder tight, and frowns hard. 

"What do you think you're doing poking me?" He says in the deep voice, trying his best to keep the face made of stone and his posture clean.

Oohira laughs. "That's more like it. Shorten all your sentences, and try to be as dense as possible. You'll be alright, Terushima-kun."

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

 

After practice, Oohira and Taichi find him again. Yuuji had luck with the running route; Goshiki tried to outrun him most of the times, showing the way the run should go. By the time Goshiki’s lungs and legs gave out, Yuuji recognized his surroundings, and found Shiratorizawa academy by himself. 

“You’ve done better today, Terushima-kun.” Oohira whispers, watching others walk by. Yuuji nods, hoping he looks menacing enough to keep the other players walking. Tendou leads them out, harassing a bunch of middle blocker wannabe’s. “Do you perhaps remember contact details of your friends? We should try to reach them, see if they know more on their end.”

Yuuji nods, ecstatic because he knows at least three phone numbers and email addresses by heart. Kazuma would be able to help out of this shitty and scary situation.

“Alright. Let’s try and call them at breakfast.” Oohira motions Yuuji towards the trail of hungry players, and towards a much needed refill of energy. Yuuji has gone through shock, having fun with the situation, slightly making use of it, towards feeling scared and alone. But they had a plan, and he could contact Kazuma. With a stroke of luck, he and Ushijima could return to their own bodies and laugh about this afterwards. The thought of Ushijima makes Yuuji’s head spin, and he trips up the stairs to the mess hall, to the great gasping silence of Ushijima’s peers. 

Yuuji looks up once he’s tall and proud again, then points to the offending step.

“Uneven.” He bullshits, then moves on towards the canteen, leaving an open-mouthed Goshiki behind . Of course no one talks back to their captain and monster ace, but Yuuji can hear some of the third year regulars chuckle behind him.

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Recognition flows into Bobata’s eyes when he answers the phone. Wakatoshi is hit on his arms, and he stares at the spot while Bobata whisper-yells into the mouthpiece of his phone. They were done with practice and changing. Wakatoshi and Bobata were the last to leave, as Bobata’s phone had started ringing.

“ _Yuuji_? Fuck dude, for real.” Bobata laughs, still trying to shake Wakatoshi’s attention awake. “Hey, it’s you. I mean your voice. I mean, it’s Yuuji!” Bobata is ecstatic when he talks, but Wakatoshi feels dread run through his gut. Would Terushima know that he violated his body by masturbating…

“Oh, he called you?” Wakatoshi prompts, leaning towards the phone. He can hear his own voice, loud and clear. Especially loud and very unlike him.

 _”Ushiwaka? Oh my god it’s you, you’re in my body right? This is the strangest thing, I know. God I have so much to tell you- Uh, oh wait Oohira is here.”_ At the same time that Terushima gives his phone (which is Wakatoshi’s of course) to Reon, Bobata presses his own phone towards Wakatoshi. Relieve floods Wakatoshi’s system when he hears Reon’s kind voice, and that they’re forming a plan to meet up and hopefully revert the process. 

“Here, I’ll put it on speaker,” Bobata mutters, and the other side does so too. Reon and Bobata are able to align the boys’ schedule and enable meeting up in the weekend. Kawanishi will be there as well, as he seems to have more knowledge about swapping bodies and a possible solutions to return them to their proper owners. It’s weird for Wakatoshi to rely on others, but for once he’s glad.

 _’Thank goodness,’_ He has a lot to ask Terushima, but finds it improper to do while their friends are listening. He agrees to the plan, and apologizes to Terushima.

 _”Huh, what for?”_ His own voice with a different tone asks. Wakatoshi simply shakes his head.

“Doesn’t matter. I will right the wrongs.”

 _”Alright, see you then! Don’t worry, I’m taking good care of you for the while being. We’ve got lots to talk about!”_ The ecstatic voice replies, and then Terushima hangs up. Bobata stares at Wakatoshi.

“You know, this is what you should sound like. This shit is so freaky!” Bobata laughs, and they finish up changing. Wakatoshi gives the key to Bobata, in whose hands they’d be safer. Bobata has opened up more after he know what accident has occurred, and he’s way friendlier and talkative now that he knows who in fact he’s talking to. And Wakatoshi’s curiosity wins over through that. After the weekend, he and Terushima might return to their respective own self, and then… part ways.

“Bobata Kazuma, may I ask you a question?” Wakatoshi is immediately greeted with an arm around Terushima’s shoulders. Muscle memory enjoys the touch, which is so friendly and kind. It’s been forever since Reon did that too. Must be because Wakatoshi build a wall of sorts, or because they grew up.

“Whatever, man. Shoot.”

“Does Terushima have any current interest into specific person?”

Bobata freezes, making Wakatoshi stop in his tracks as well. Then his face is right there, staring down Wakatoshi’s soul.

“Hold up. Wait.” Bobata starts smiling, then laughs. Manic, one could say, if the one hasn’t heard Satori’s laugh regularly. “Oh shiiit, Ushiwaka! You’re. Oh wow, that’s so.”

“Please don’t say strange, freaky, or weird.” Wakatoshi pleads. He could handle it on any other front except the heart one. He likes boys, he couldn’t and shouldn’t help that. He has come to know so much about Terushima in these past days, and his wishes to get to know someone like him have been answered in the most impractical ways. He couldn’t handle opening up only to be mocked now.

“Oooh, I see. You have good taste, Ushiwaka.”

“Ushijima.”

“Ah, Ushijima. San. I should treat you with more respect, given you’re a third year.” Bobata muses as they enter the school building. “Well, as you might have notices, Yuuji is a free bird. He isn’t restricted to only liking one sex, but he has been more into guys recently. As far as I know, he’s into bigger dudes. As in, bigger than him, y’know.”

“So I’ve come to understand.” Wakatoshi replies, seeing his -Terushima’s reflection- in the window as they walk inside. He should smile more, perhaps. 

“Uh-huh. You should totally talk to him about it. Hey, maybe that is why fate brought you here like this! To play a little Cupid game.” Bobata grins, giving hope to Wakatoshi’s darkest and most silent urges. Perhaps this was truly the way of the fates. Perhaps, after all, he could have hope for what he wanted outside volleyball. But first he must survive until the weekend and take good care of Terushima for the remainder of the time.

 _’We’ve got lots to talk about!’_

Wakatoshi smiles, and Bobata congratulates him for looking more himself. It shows; half the hallway starts to smile back at the Terushima they know.

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Yuuji has a feeling this could have been a very cool opening shot for a movie. The sun is high when he walks up the hillside, Oohira and Taichi flanking his sides. For all the bravado and cool looks, his knees are week with every step. He’s about to see himself, his own body, inhabited by Ushijima. Whatever cool images float in his mind, they disappear as soon as he recognizes his friends behind the trees. They had concluded that a spot smack in the middle of the two schools, hidden in the mountains and surrounded by trees, would be the best.

As the fates and paths converge, and Yuuji can see the back of his own head, the nervous emotions spread towards his limbs. Swallowing, he raises his arm.

“Heeey, Kazuma, Jiri. Long time no see.” His bright tone won’t ever stop sounding strange when Ushijima’s bass voice applies its own spin to it. Numajiri is the first to spot him, and his own body uphill starts to turn around. When after everything Ushijima and he face each other, it feels as if his heart, this heart inside this body and the one beating inside the one he belongs in, is taken by a sharp pain. 

He might throw up.

Seeing himself standing tall but eyes doubting the existence, Yuuji can’t help but slump forward when he finally stands in front of Ushijima. They give each other weird looks, given the fact that they see their swapped bodies for the first time.

“You look strange,” Ushijima says, giving Yuuji’s voice an unnatural spin, too. “I mean, you make me look strange.”

About to object and throw the same thing back at Ushijima, Yuuji let’s himself be interrupted when Kazuma comes between them. Kazuma had always been the taller of them too; looking down on him gives Yuuji once more a twirl in his perspective. 

“So uh, we’re leaving. See ya buddy.” Kazuma notifies them, his hand hovering between them both. Hesistant to which one he’s referring to, Kazuma puts both his hands on his friend’s shoulders; the one Yuuji’s in, and the one which is actually his.

Oohira is the last to leave, looking at Yuuji’s body as if trying to sense an evil spirit. “Wakatoshi?”

Ushijima sighs, slumping his shoulders, and nods. Yuuji thinks the last time he looked this defeated had to be a harsh rejection of someone he actually liked. 

“I am alright, Reon. Go with them.” When their friends hide behind a thick set of trees, Ushijima rubs his neck, eyes down on the ground.

“So. Kawanishi said there was a plan and… it involved kissing.”

Yuuji nods, still not believing they were about to actually do it. Crossing his arms, he tries to make out any peeking eyes behind the bushes. 

“Yup. Your kouhai and his shoujo manga… Guess there’s nothing to it,” Yuuji murmurs, then steps towards his own body, which flinches away. Eyes widening, Yuuji is shaken seeing himself so small and afraid. It can’t be that Ushijima resides within; he wouldn’t be this afraid, right?

“Uh,” Ushijima says, hands up. “Hold on.” 

“C’mon, Ushiwaka. I want this to be over and be myself again. Surely it’s the same for you, hey!?“ Yuuji spits, getting edgy. He wouldn’t be afraid of someone as tall as Ushijima.

“I never kissed someone before.”

Halting in his motion, Yuuji’s eyes widen; he watches his own face, how it doesn’t blush. How Ushijima is dead serious. 

“But you’re-”

Ushijima turns away, unable to face himself and this situation. “Whatever I am, I haven’t done this before. And it's painful that I’m not even _me_.”

Yuuji can get behind that at least. It would be way, way better if he was in his own skin now, and to be able to kiss, or be kissed by Ushijima. But they were here because he wouldn’t have met him any other way than the preliminaries of the next Spring tournament. They were both stuck in this mess, and according to Taichi, there was but one way out of it.

“Hey, if you want. You can totally kiss me once we’re us again. It doesn’t have to be perfect; I can teach you!” Kinder than before, keeping in mind he’s the taller one right now, Yuuji’s reaches out to tap the shoulder. 

A chuckle comes forth, and it sounds more like Yuuji. Less afraid, and ready to play. Ushijima turns around, eyes closed. “If you say so.”

Collecting every ounce of daring personality he has, Yuuji lowers his hands to touch Ushijima. He has to close his eyes too, unable to look at himself, a mirror-reflection, while doing this. _’I’m kissing Ushijima. I’m willing this fucking soul of mine to switch back to where it belongs. Please please please let me open my eyes and see him…’_ Yuuji talks himself into kissing the lips, feel the metal ball. Ushijima is hesitant and doesn’t reply in kind; it’s up to Yuuji to make this worthwhile.

But he can’t. It’s impossible. This is the most awkward thing to do, and they’re basically kissing themselves!? His potential of a good kisser goes to waste because these lips are not used to it; both the ones he’s moving, and the one’s who should be replying fervently. 

_’Fuck, I really wish I was myself right now… I could enjoy this, touching his handsome face.’_

Yuuji bites down, grunting at how this isn’t working the way he had hoped it would. 

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

 

_’Switch me back. I never asked for anything before; I didn’t beg the gods that my parents would stay together. I never asked for strength and always fought for it myself. I didn’t ask for friends or capable teammates, and was still given them. I always worked hard for what I wanted. Please, let me switch back and kiss him the way I should.’_

Wakatoshi doesn’t know how to move. Terushima might have kissed so many people, but these lips of his weren’t remembering. Weren’t moving. Wakatoshi froze, and his hands were cold. Nervous sweat ran down the close-cropped neck, and he didn’t dare moving his fingers to interlace with Terushima’s; to touch himself like this, to kiss himself like this. Getting wrecked by the unknown, by the uncommon intimacy, he felt worlds apart of being himself. 

When Terushima bit down in irritation and grunts against their kiss, Wakatoshi can only think that the feeling is mutual.

“It didn’t work.” His voice calls out, a strange mix of Terushima speaking, but Wakatoshi hearing his own voice say it. “Hey, tall bastard, your shoujo romance stuff isn’t doing what it should.” 

“Don’t raise your voice like that. Kawanishi tried his best given the circumstance.” Wakatoshi couldn’t fault either of them; he understood Terushima’s anger and frustration, but yelling and cussing wasn’t to get them anywhere. At this point, Wakatoshi wondered what kind of sacrifices he had to give to be himself again. What had he done wrong to deserve this… He finally had done what he’d wished for a long time, but kissing a boy… no. He wasn’t himself. He hadn’t done anything.

Their friends trudge back, a mixed company who were just as somber as Wakatoshi felt. Bobata came up the hill first, followed by Reon who quickly made his way to Wakatoshi’s side. Kawanishi stayed behind, not looking at Wakatoshi. 

“There must be something else,” Reon murmurs, giving Wakatoshi a melancholic gaze. 

“This sucks,” Bobata growls, his arms crossed. “I wonder if you did it right… with tongue?” 

Wakatoshi cannot witness seeing himself behave so differently; when Terushima freaks out, Wakatoshi turns away from the two friends. He finds Kawanishi, who barely made a move towards them. When he notices a person coming his way, the apologies are quick on his mouth. Even when Wakatoshi stands higher on the hill, Kawanishi looks smaller as he slumps his shoulders forward. Although it’s odd to look up to him, Wakatoshi buries the thought and talks to his underclassman.

“Don’t worry, Kawanishi. You tried to help. No one is going to fault you for that.” He says, not able to bear someone else faulting themselves for this incident.

“I’m really sorry, Ushijima-san.” Kawanishi mumbles, looking to both the ‘Ushijima’s present. 

“Gah, I know. You guys switched bodies at night, right? Maybe you should be together at night! Sleep through it, and see if you’re back the next morning.” Numajiri offers, then looking at Bobata for help. “But where could they stay..?”

“It cannot hurt to try,” Reon offers, his palms up when he wants Wakatoshi and Terushima to consider it. Wakatoshi looks at his body, how it’s defiant and unrelaxing in his stance. Reon smiles kindly to both of them. “It’s the weekend and our team has it off. You could stay in Wakatoshi’s dorm…”

His own bed. At least Wakatoshi would be back there… together with Terushima.

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Satori helped sneak in extra food and keeping away the underclassmen and other people who weren’t in the know. Reon had tried his best to sneak the extra person in, but Kawanishi hadn’t been fast enough to spot Satori and distract him. Wakatoshi didn’t mind him knowing though, especially as he came to help.

“It explains a lot,” Satori smiles, looking at them. “Anyway, lock your door. Taichi-kun and I will keep watch.”

“Thank you, Tendou.” Wakatoshi offers, making Satori snort. 

Ever since the kiss, Terushima hasn’t spoken. He agreed to Reon’s plan and said goodbye to his friends, after ensuring his parakeets would survive a night without him there. Terushima had talked Wakatoshi through calling his mother, allowing him to be away for a night. But he hadn’t said a word to Wakatoshi. Even as they ate and got ready for the night. 

“You don’t want to use the bath?” Wakatoshi offers, but Terushima shook his head. A slight blush made it on the face which he kept turned away from Wakatoshi. 

Sighing, Wakatoshi sits on his own bed. The closest they had come after the hill spectacle was when Terushima helped him getting the contacts out of his eyes. Numajiri got a few things from Terushima’s house to switch in for Wakatoshi, and hadn’t forget the medication or the lenses kit. When he lowers down on the bed with Terushima sitting beside him, the other had been strangely unmoving. He must have come to dislike Wakatoshi, maybe even blame him for this mess. Although it was early, Wakatoshi proposed they’d get to bed. Maybe the earlier they sleep, the earlier they reverse this curse. 

A mild problem arises. Wakatoshi never thought about fitting a second person in his bed, but now that he sees his own bulk against the wall, he wonders how they’re going to pull off the ‘falling asleep together’ part of the plan. Terushima has yet to say a word, so Wakatoshi takes it on himself to be the host and make sure he doesn’t fuck up more.

“Which position do you usually prefer..?” 

“Wow, that’s quite the erotic question.” Terushima grins for the first time; it doesn’t look that strange on Wakatoshi’s face, but he still doesn’t like it. The tease makes Wakatoshi’s stern, even though he’s glad Terushima doesn’t appear to be mad at him. 

“I meant-”

“Relax, I know what you mean. And if I’m honest, it depends. I haven’t had that many sleepovers, but I do have experience and other ideas about it.” Terushima starts, giving examples. “With girls, I’d definitely like to hold them. If they wanna snuggle up behind me and hold my chest, that would be cool too. But with guys… I’d definitely prefer to be held by their warmth, especially if he’s taller.”

Contemplating this doesn’t bring Wakatoshi further in the quest to fit two people in this little bed. Spooning it was, but who would be the little spoon or the big spoon stayed questionable. 

“With you, I’d love to get spooned from behind.” Terushima continues, then winks at Wakatoshi who just then looks up. “Coincidentally that’s my _other_ favourite position.” 

Wakatoshi, in a fit of having nothing better in mind, takes his own pillow and throws it towards Terushima. 

“Enough of that. I’m not that experienced.” Given the simple formula, being in Terushima’s body and thereby the smaller person, Wakatoshi lies down on his side, his back turned to the one still sitting upright behind him. He didn’t need a pillow anyway; maybe he could sleep on top of Terushima’s… no. His own arm. Wait, that would make it less romantic still…

“Yeah about that! I can’t believe you haven’t kissed anyone. Seriously, the amount of girls and guys that look at you! You could have an amazing pick at this school. A new person every week-” Terushima starts his rant and hits and uncomfortable snare. While his good intentions are covered in compliments which warm Wakatoshi, he has to object to the core of it. Maybe if he’d been different in personality, or had even 1% of Terushima’s, he could have had _adventures_.

But he was a volleyball idiot, as Eita once put it. His focus lay on his club activities and becoming the best in Japan. 

“Man, you’re so good-looking, team captain, top three ace, and in the magazines all the time. I don’t get how you are so closed off to all these possibilities. You could have had so much fun and being with anyone you’d like.” Terushima says, and Wakatoshi doesn’t hear it in the voice that speaks, but in Terushima’s own voice -the one he’s been using since the change. 

When he looks behind him, he’s still in Terushima’s skin. Still looking up to his own body inhabited by an other. Exhaling, Wakatoshi cuts the rant short. 

“I never wanted that. Having anyone because of my popularity… I never aspired to be someone like that.”

“Okay okay, so you want _the_ one. But dammit Ushiwaka you didn’t even try finding them!”

Wakatoshi nods, unable to talk himself out of that. Terushima has a point. It just wasn’t that easy. “After realizing that I might be into my own sex… it was really hard. I didn't know how to distinguish if another guy would be interested or not. Whenever a girl tried talking to me, I cut them off and felt horrible for hurting someone’s feelings. I didn’t want to be the one whose feelings would become hurt. Not knowing how to make a move, I just-”

“Gave up..?” Terushima offers, his voice softer. “That's a lonely life to live.” 

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Yuuji pouts, on behalf of all the gay dudes he’s seen so far. On behalf of basically half the school who wanted Ushijima Quite a handful, and surely not all with bad intentions or only following baser instincts. Sure, he’s seen boys who only wanted sex. Girls who only wanted to date the captain of a winning team. Still, being so afraid not only being gay, but generally not having any experience. It tugs at Yuuji’s heart. 

“It's a good way not to get hurt or be humiliated.” Ushijima says at last, then turns around on his side again. Yuuji has never heard his own voice this low or self-conscious in a couple of years. 

Even when he had sleepovers with friends and they would talk in the security of darkness about their most anxious or embarrassing topics, Yuuji has never whispered like this. He could talk about kinks and the things he did to himself for pleasure, or the things he tried out with someone else. It broke his heart somewhat, to hear someone like Ushijima to feel so cut off… Yuuji’s bitter smile is for the both of them, at this point. He’s glad Ushijima cannot see.

“Damn, if you’d give me like, one hour, I can easily show you who's offering at this school. Not everyone’s as classy as I would be, of course. There’s plenty who are just interested in superficial dating, or plainly want sex.”

“I understand. I'd rather not…” Ushijima starts, but Yuuji cannot bear seeing him so low

“Nah, I get it. You want the perfect person, and just fuckers are out of the question.” Finding the light switch, Yuuji attempts to make talking about this easier for Ushijima. He might have never had someone to talk about this, or this much. Oohira is a good person, and probably tried getting the nitty gritty out of Ushijima.

Lying down, Yuuji gets himself into the perfect position. He snuggles closer, all of a sudden wishing he’d go here. Jouzenji had become the best place for him to play and become strong, but if he’d be a student here… Yuuji would have had figured Ushijima out so fast, make something happen. Understand that this tall handsome guy who has been a threat as the strongest wing spiker in their prefecture, was secretly a softy on the inside, wanting to be loved. Just like everyone else

Instead Yuuji’s stuck inside his body, useless to make a move. The kiss this afternoon was nothing, it was too much ‘kissing himself’ to be any kind of enjoyable. The ache in this big, golden heart isn’t his own, and he wonders if Ushijima feels some sort of connection between them. Or if he’s too dense to understand even this. Tightening these beefier arms around his own smaller frame, Yuuji feels a little happier when Ushijima leans back into the embrace. A small consolence; Yuuji would give his right arm to be inside his own body again. To be hugged like this by Ushijima. 

It’s even worse now than the kiss. 

“Night,” he murmurs instead, well aware that his voice is not his own. Wiggling close to the back of his own head, he shuts his eyes.

“Sleep well.” Yuuji’s voice murmurs back in the dark, not sounding healed or consoled in the least.

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

Wakatoshi inhales deep when he wakes up, but feels reluctant to open his eyes. Last night it had been unbearable to be trapped, and he didn’t want to continue another day inside this boy. There were no bad intentions behind those thoughts; even before the kiss and this cuddly sleepover, he had wanted to be himself again. To actually hold and kiss Terushima. The emotion had intensified when they had settled down in the spooning position.

Just as easily as he realized he liked guys, he had made the connection, and came to accept that he had feelings for Terushima. He has known him only for a few days, but _being_ him has shown him so much already. After the kiss, there hadn’t been anything that would indicate mutual emotions to be expected. Even when they talked about sexuality and the hardships, Terushima had offered to find someone for Wakatoshi. Someone else, and not himself. It had hurt Wakatoshi more than he’d like to admit, and lying here, Terushima’s smell strong inside his nose, was just-

Eyes snapping open, Wakatoshi glances in his own perfect vision at the close cropped cut, right before his eyes. His arms tighten around Terushima’s body. His own arms, all the way to the flexing fingers. He runs them over Terushima’s chest. Slowly, as if waking from a surreal dream, he sits. His breathing comes in slow, low gusts outside his mouth, as he glances towards the sleeping figure of Terushima. 

Feeling an unknown excitement wash over him, he rubs Terushima’s shoulder, shaking him until he wakes, too. The shut eyes squint, and the darker brows furrow under the touch.

“What is it,” Terushima murmurs in his sleep. “I don’t want to be you anymore, Ushiwaka…” 

As soon as he hears his own voice, Terushima wakes with a start, sitting up and jumping out of bed, facing Wakatoshi. He touches his chest, his face, his piercings and even attempts to see the metal ball pierced through his tongue, making his eyes cross. Bouncy, he jumps up and exclaims.

“Oh shit, oh my god! I am not you anymore!? And you are, you are…!” Terushima starts, mouth hanging open as his happiness explodes from his own body once again, and propels him into the air as he jumps up in form of a starfish. He’s on the bed again, hugging and touching Wakatoshi. “Jesus, gods, I cannot. Oh my fucking- we did it! I don’t know what or how but…!” 

Terushima is at a loss for words, a bundle of energy that doesn’t keep still. As soon as Wakatoshi has his lap full of the bright boy, Terushima is off the bed again, before Wakatoshi can capture his wrists or hands. Despite being happy about the change back, Wakatoshi recognized the oncoming return of loneliness. He felt the sensation burn into his fingerpads and knuckles, as he longed for more. He shouldn’t have woken Terushima up and just… kiss his neck or-

Wakatoshi will miss him. 

“I am very glad,” he says, not wanting to show Terushima any kind of unwantedness at the positive turn of events. Terushima runs around the room, yelling and happy. He finds his lenses and puts them in, way faster than Wakatoshi could have ever done. Watching Terushima seeing himself in the mirror, his hands roaming different places of his body, still in disbelief, Wakatoshi tries for a kind smile. “We should get dressed and call your friend. You surely want to go home.”

Sliding off his bed, Wakatoshi hates the uselessness spreading in his gut. He doesn’t want Terushima to leave. Even so, he’s searching for his own clothes, making sure not to pick up the ones he undressed out of as Terushima. He doesn’t get far in his search, as thundering footsteps approach him. As soon as he glances into the direction of noise, he has to act fast and spread his arms. Wakatoshi has to catch an armful of Terushima, who jumps him. The force makes him stagger, but Wakatoshi is strong enough to keep rooted to the ground without a fall, even after being absent from this body.

What does makes his knees weak is when Terushima kisses him full on the mouth. 

Bliss unlike the any jump serve or spike has ever given him floods his system. Within a moment, Wakatoshi’s arms tense around Terushima, quite sure he’s never felt this alive. Their lips brush, hungrier and more responsive than yesterday. At last Wakatoshi can feel Terushima the way he wanted to, respond to a kiss he’s actively involved in. Lewd, he lets his tongue lick over Terushima, the cold sensation of the tongue piercing making him groan into the kiss. Terushima’s arms have gone around his shoulders, and his fingers are roaming Wakatoshi’s hair.

Wakatoshi doesn’t want to stop doing this, but let’s go when Terushima’s head backs away. He doesn’t get a moment to feel sad about the kiss stopping. Terushima’s hands smack him on either side of the face, and Terushima’s brings their foreheads together.

“Do you want to get rid of me? Like, do you really want me to get dressed right now and leave?”

“No.” Wakatoshi answers without thinking, knowing he wouldn’t be able to anymore. He wants Terushima.

“So… do you think it’s a good idea to brush our teeths and then continue kiss, for real? On your bed? I know we won’t swap bodies again, I just do. But I really, really want to kiss you more. I’ve been thinking about it for the past few days!” Terushima grins, hopeful and brighter than the sun. His voice sways Wakatoshi, who has yet to catch up the implications. This wasn’t just about kissing.

“I agree.” Wakatoshi says, steadfast, as if his heart isn’t hammering against his chest like a wild, caged animal. Terushima hugs him tight, his nose running down Wakatoshi’s neck to inhale his scent, as if he hadn’t been surrounded by it the last couple of days. Wakatoshi keeps him close, reluctant of letting him go just yet. He has to say it, too. If not now, he won’t ever get the chance.

“Terushima Yuuji, would you like to try and go out with me?”

“Ushijima, seriously. _Obviously_ that would have happened, or I would have proposed it myself, after we make out!” Terushima smiles, the brightest and most wonderful if smiles. One Wakatoshi could have never hope to duplicate himself on this face. He kisses it at the corners, then pushes Terushima’s head close to his with his hand.

“Thank you, Yuuji.”

Wakatoshi couldn’t find it in him to put him down on his own two feet yet, even when Reon and Satori came knocking. They must have heard the commotion. Wakatoshi watches his two friends as they enter, Satori talking, and Reon accessing the situation. Smiling, Reon nods to Wakatoshi, who nods back, not needing any kind of ‘welcome back’ message from his childhood friend. Reon pushes Satori out of the door again, not listening to the whiny protest. 

 

~

 

~

 

~

 

It’s a good Sunday. The best Sunday Yuuji’s ever had. He hasn’t been in love like this for some time, keeping it simple and easy with his previous crushes. Here, he’d found a new kind of heavenly bliss. Sitting on Wakatoshi’s bed (who didn’t want to be called Ushijima, a move Yuuji hadn’t seen coming), he cannot fathom any other place better than straddling Wakatoshi’s lap. It was sweet and simple; Yuuji had touched this body with Wakatoshi’s own hands, now he had lovely and blissful touch of his own hands running over the well-trained torso. Awe still rocked his core of being himself again, and it stood on par being able to do these things now.

They’ve kissed half the morning, not caring for breakfast until Wakatoshi ushered they should eat at least a little bit. Tendou had provided, most interested in the turns of Wakatoshi’s favours and finding him holding Yuuji. Yuuji could go all kinds of paces with a person once he knows he wants them, but he wonders if this is going to fast for a boy who’s never kissed someone or had a boyfriend before.

He’d rather not stop, but Yuuji has to make sure. “Hey, we’re not going… too fast, right? You’re cool with all this?”

As Yuuji asks, his hands do not go an inch too far from the tight pecs, how they rise under Wakatoshi’s breathing. Suddenly Wakatoshi sits up and brushes Yuuji’s lips, not too deep or too sensual. Just the right kind of breezy, fleeting moment that has Yuuji close his eyes and thank every god he knows he’s gay and can have this. 

“I’ve waited for so long to have someone like you to enjoy this with… I apologize if I’m too eager.” Wakatoshi murmurs, daring to look away. Yuuji laughs out loud, hugging the shy face close to himself. 

“Please, don’t say sorry for wanting me. I’m very flattered.” He sighs when Wakatoshi hugs his back, keeping him closed. They hadn’t gone too far, and kept it well in their pants. Yuuji knew he had to go slow at one point. But they had all the time, and Shiratorizawa wasn’t that far away…

“You want me to walk you home tonight, Yuuji? You can properly introduce me to your parakeets.”

Touches, Yuuji smiles at him. “Do they actually allow you to be out late from the dorms? I don’t want to get you in trouble...”

“I’ve been out late before.” Wakatoshi murmurs, and Yuuji hears a story behind it. 

“Oooh, bad boy huh? Just my type.” Yuuji grins, allowing Wakatoshi’s answer to be a kiss in his neck. He’s slowly becoming addicting to those lips roaming more and more skin, and how the hands are so warm and inviting. Yuuji believes he could lose his everything with Wakatoshi, and knows that Wakatoshi would give him everything in return. “Mhnn, yeah there. You can lower…” 

Enjoying the teasing tongue licking down his neck, Yuuji opens his mouth to let Wakatoshi know how much he enjoys this. Unable to keep passive much longer, he holds Wakatoshi’s head and stares into his soul, knowing its right where it belongs. Descending on the warm lips, his tongue rolls in deep, falling into the mutual love and groaning, the gentle tugs and angling of heads that deepen their kiss. 

He makes sure that even when he touches Wakatoshi’s knees and starts to move on top of his laps, it stays within bounds. Nothing too dangerous. It’s Wakatoshi whose movements rock up and into Yuuji’s crotch.

“Hey, hey. Not too eager, now.”

“I am sure I can handle myself. And you, for that matter.” Wakatoshi murmurs, nose brushing Yuuji’s collarbone. The touch and the words make him giggle. 

“Oho, so self-assured.” Yuuji laughs more, until his giggles turn to moans once more. His hands shows Wakatoshi were to go at times, but there’s an instinct broken inside of Wakatoshi, whose curiosity and wishes lick over Yuuji on their own account. There’s so much more to learn about him, Yuuji thinks, and is glad they can finally do it the right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So okay I wanna talk about sexuality~ I have a few bisexual headcanons reserved for a couple of hq!! boys, and Terushima was always part of that group (altho I feel he would be pan too~)  
> With Ushijima, I always like to write him still figuring things out, or being unsure in love and relationship stuff. Like he's such a volleyball idiot who 'doesnt have time for relationships' and wouldn't know social cues if they hit him in the head. He's probably the type to be hurtful and rude to girls when he tries to reject the, saying things like 'I don't think we're a good match', 'I do not have the time, sorry' or other nonsense. But once he's sure of this part of himself, he'd totally own it and back off from nothing in pursuit of whom he likes uvu

**Author's Note:**

> Oya oya oya??


End file.
